Sport in Town: The Smart Healthy ENV Project, a Pilot Study of Physical Activity with Multiparametric Monitoring

Marco Laurino, Tommaso Lomonaco, Francesca Giuseppa Bellagambi, Silvia Ghimenti, Alessandro Messeri, Marco Morabito, Elena Marrucci, Lorenza Pratali and Maria Giovanna Trivella
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Marco Laurino: Institute of Clinical Physiology, National Research Council, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Tommaso Lomonaco: Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry, University of Pisa, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Francesca Giuseppa Bellagambi: Institute of Analytical Sciences, University of Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Villeurbanne, 69100 Lyon, France
Silvia Ghimenti: Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry, University of Pisa, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Alessandro Messeri: Institute of Bioeconomy, National Research Council (IBE-CNR), 50019 Florence, Italy
Marco Morabito: Institute of Bioeconomy, National Research Council (IBE-CNR), 50019 Florence, Italy
Elena Marrucci: Institute of Clinical Physiology, National Research Council, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Lorenza Pratali: Institute of Clinical Physiology, National Research Council, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Maria Giovanna Trivella: Institute of Clinical Physiology, National Research Council, 56124 Pisa, Italy

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 5, 1-13

Abstract: Background: Increasing evidence links meteorological characteristics and air pollution to physiological responses during sports activities in urban areas with different traffic levels. Objective: The main objective of the Smart Healthy ENV (SHE, “Smart Monitoring Integrated System For A Healthy Urban Environment In Smart Cities”) project was to identify the specific responses of a group of volunteers during physical activity, by monitoring their heart rates and collecting breath samples, combined with data on meteorological determinants and pollution substances obtained through fixed sensor nodes placed along city routes and remotely connected to a dedicated data acquisition server. Methods: Monitoring stations were placed along two urban routes in Pisa, each two km long, with one located within the park beside the Arno river (green route) and the other in a crowded traffic zone (red route). Our sample participants were engaged in sports activities ( N = 15, with different levels of ability) and were monitored through wearable sensors. They were first asked to walk back and forth (4 km) and then to run the same route. The experimental sessions were conducted over one day per route. A breath sample was also collected before each test. A questionnaire concerning temperature and fatigue perception was administered for all of the steps of the study over the two days. Results: The heart rates of the participants were monitored in the baseline condition, during walking, and while running, and were correlated with meteorological and pollutant data and with breath composition. Changes in the heart rates and breath composition were detected during the experimental sessions. These variations were related to the physical activity and to the meteorological conditions and air pollution levels. Conclusions: The SHE project can be considered a proof-of-concept study aimed at monitoring physiological and environmental variables during physical activity in urban areas, and can be used in future studies to provide useful information to those involved in sports and the broader community.

Keywords: sport; multiparametric monitoring; air pollution; heat stress; microclimate determinants; heart rate; breath; physical activity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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