The two research objectives of Nemesis are to investigate how neighborhood environments influence health and to explore the impact of mobility/transport on health. Regarding the first objective, our contribution is to investigate the neighborhood / environmental determinants of health behavior and health using detailed space-time data. Regarding the second objective, we aim to develop a comprehensive model of the relationship between transport and health integrating the physical activity benefits of active transport but also the exposures, related to air pollutants and noise, and stress, incurred in the different transport modes.

In the MobiliSense (ERC) project and in the MINDMAP (H2020), HANC (ANR), and Polluscope (ANR) projects nested in our RECORD Cohort, we will develop a novel methodological package relying on sensor-based data collections, “life segment” analysis, and simulations. This approach implies a continuous monitoring of participants with wearable sensors of location; movement, posture, and behavior; environmental exposures; and health status. These data take into account the full dynamic of exposures over the places visited and disaggregate spatially and temporally the behavioral and health outcomes of interest. It is then possible to conduct “momentary” analyses, investigating the successive life segments of individuals as the statistical units of analysis, using case-crossover modeling (comparing each individual to herself/himself). Finally, we will continue to develop simulation studies of policy effects. It involves a “data enrichment” step through which we export information derived from the sensors from our small sensor study samples to large representative population survey samples, and simulation of the impact of interventions and policies in these large, sensor-enriched samples. 

The final aim of this methodological development is to improve the theoretical and policy-relevant knowledge on the influence of urban and transport systems on health.