Using a Smartphone App-based Data Collection Method to Characterize Latent Transportation Demand and Impacts on Health and Quality of Life within Marginalized and Underserved Populations

The interdisciplinary team refined an app prototype, MyAmble, to gather data related to quantity of transportation disadvantage and latent demand, and to identify psycho-social-economic corollaries. MyAmble utilizes a traditional travel diary format but expands the type of trips measured to include (1) completed trips, (2) missed trips, and (3) latent travel demand. The app also measures the real-time perceived impact of transportation behaviors (realized and latent) on participants’ physical health, mental health, social engagement, and employment/academics. Finally, the app has a text-messaging feature, Travel Buddy, that is used to increase participant engagement and retention over longitudinal data collection. The project had several phases including focus groups to help inform app refinement. The authors deployed the MyAmble prototype through community-engaged research strategies in Dallas, Texas; Tucson, Arizona; and Knoxville, Tennessee. Recruiting through community partners and snowball sampling resulted in a sample of 77 participants. The majority of participants were female (74.7%) and the average age of participants was 38.41 (SD 13.61) years old. In terms of race and ethnicity, the majority of participants were white (45.5 %) followed by Black/African American (28.6%), Hispanic or Latinx (10.4 %), and American Indian or Alaska Native (5.2%). The prototype testing shows promise in capturing latent travel demand data among typically underserved populations. The study generated critical feedback for continued improvements to MyAmble. Participants expressed positive feedback about MyAmble in the usability survey and offered recommendations for improving the app during the follow-up focus group. Transportation professionals offered recommendations for implementation planning and future studies using MyAmble.

• Record URL:
  • https://ppms.trec.pdx.edu/media/project_files/NITC-RR-1397-App-Based_Data_Collection_MyAmble_KnDmjjA.pdf
• Summary URL:
  • https://nitc.trec.pdx.edu/research/project/1397
• Record URL:
  • https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/73300
• Supplemental Notes:
  • This document was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation, University Transportation Centers Program. Cover title: App-based Data Collection to Characterize Latent Transportation Demand within Marginalized and Underserved Populations.
• Corporate Authors:

  National Institute for Transportation and Communities

  Portland State University
  P.O. Box 751
  Portland, OR  United States  97207

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

  University Transportation Centers Program
  Department of Transportation
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Fields, Noelle L
  • Cronley, Courtney
  • Mattingly, Stephen P
  • Iroz-Elardo, Nicole
  • 0000-0003-1680-4516
  • Levine, David
  • 0000-0001-7582-9911
  • Gudipati, Nithisha Reddy
  • Highfill, Christine
  • Stringfellow, Mary Kris
  • O'Dell, Anna
  • Cole, Rebecca
  • Huslage, Melody
• Publication Date: 2024-1

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Edition: Final Report
• Features: Appendices; Figures; Photos; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 140p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Data collection; Health; Mobile applications; Quality of life; Transportation disadvantaged persons; Travel demand
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Society; Transportation (General);

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01907823
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: NITC-RR-1397
• Contract Numbers: 69A3551747112
• Files: UTC, NTL, TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Feb 12 2024 10:31AM