Effects of Age, Season, Gender and Urban-Rural Status on Time-Activity: Canadian Human Activity Pattern Survey 2 (CHAPS 2)
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Cross-sectional population survey using recall diaries (Level 4 by study design analogy).
OpenAlex W2062857997 · doi:10.3390/ijerph110202108
What was done
The Canadian Human Activity Pattern Survey 2 (CHAPS 2) collected time-activity data from Canadians of all ages during 2010–2011 across five urban and two rural locations using telephone interviews. Infants and children were over-sampled. A total of 5,011 participants completed 24-hour recall diaries detailing time spent in different microenvironments alongside questionnaires on dwelling characteristics, socio-economic factors, and specific pollutant exposures.
What was found
Participants spent an average of 88.9% of their time indoors (mostly at home), 5.8% outdoors, and 5.3% in a vehicle. Age, season, gender, and rurality were significant predictors of time-activity distributions. Compared to earlier data collected 15 years prior, adults reported spending more time indoors at home and adolescents reported spending less time outdoors (exact subgroup values and comparative statistics were not reported in the abstract).
Why it matters
Accurate assessment of population exposure to environmental contaminants depends on knowing where people spend their time. These findings update baseline microenvironmental distributions for Canadian risk assessment models.
Limits
Data relied on 24-hour telephone recall diaries, which are subject to recall and reporting bias. Sampling was limited to seven specific geographic locations rather than a fully continuous national sample. The abstract lacks exact numerical values for subgroup distributions and comparative trends.
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