The ProPASS consortium: growth, success, challenges and future directions for an international wearables consortium

Purpose: To explore the development of a leading international consortium of observational studies of physical behaviours, including its challenges, scientific potential, future directions and long-term goals.

Description: The development of international consortia of observational studies of physical behaviours offers unprecedented opportunity to understand links between movement health and disease, and to meet global public health priorities. Since its inception in 2017 the ProPASS (Prospective Studies of Physical Activity, Sedentary Behaviour and Sleep) consortium, has developed at pace to include more 30 large observational studies from 5 continents, and is ideally placed to inform the next generation of physical activity guidelines and promotion.

In this symposium we will share the historical journey and development of ProPASS, its success to date, exciting emergent workstreams and a vision for the future. The symposium will include three presentation sessions, during which delegates will hear from 6 members of the ProPASS leadership group, followed by an interactive panel discussion featuring some of our esteemed international collaborators.

In the first of these talks, Professors Emmanuel Stamatakis (University of Sydney) and Mark Hamer (University College London) will set out the ProPASS mission and its potential future impact, and share valuable insights regarding opportunities and challenges created by ProPASS success and continued growth. Presentation two will focus on key success from the last 12 months. Dr Jo Blodgett (University College London) and Dr Matthew Ahmadi (University of Sydney) will describe the first papers from analyses of the ProPASS pooled data resource which focus on cardiometabolic health and associations with intensity, duration, and type of movement behaviours. In our third presentation, led by Associate Professor Annemarie Koster (Maastricht University) with Dr Jo Blodgett and Dr Matthew Ahmadi, delegates will have the opportunity to hear about new directions and exciting emergent workstreams involving compositional approaches, exploration of device-measured sleep volume and variability, and of physical activity micropatterns.

The symposium will close with an interactive panel discussion where delegates and our expert panel can consider key questions and share ideas on the topic: ‘The present and future of observational physical behaviour research: the role of wearables’.

Chair: Dr Richard Pulsford. Faculty of Health and Life Science. University of Exeter, United Kingdom

Presenters
Session 1:
– Professor Emmanuel Stamatakis. Charles Perkins Centre, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia,
– Professor Mark Hamer, Institute of Sport Exercise & Health, UCL, London, United Kingdom

Session 2:
– Dr Joanna M Blodgett. Institute of Sport Exercise & Health, UCL, and University College London Hospitals NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, London, UK
– Dr Matthew Ahmadi. Charles Perkins Centre, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia

Session 3:
– Dr Joanna M Blodgett. Institute of Sport Exercise & Health, UCL, and University College London Hospitals NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, London, UK
– Dr Matthew Ahmadi. Charles Perkins Centre, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
– Associate Professor Annemarie Koster. Department of Social Medicine, CAPHRI Care and Public Health Research Institute, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands

Abstract 1: Vision and potential impact of the ProPASS consortium: securing the longevity of large international physical activity collaborations

Speakers: Emmanuel Stamatakis, Mark Hamer

Background: The Prospective Physical Activity, Sitting, and Sleep consortium (ProPASS) was launched in 2017 to spearhead the transition to wearables-based evidence for physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and sleep guidelines development. ProPASS currently involves c>100 collaborators and nearly 30 cohort studies. As an international consortium, ProPASS is unique in that it was not set up merely as a data resource, its activities include methodology development, prospective expansion to new cohorts including a formal ISPAH partnership focused on LMICs, and support of Early Career Researchers.

Purpose: To outline the scope, vision, and future potential impact of ProPASS, and share with the ISPAH community the lessons learnt during its development.

Methods: We will first discuss how ProPASS emerged, its vision and the strategy for achieving it, the challenges faced, and its current and likely future impact. The second part of this session will focus on funding strategy and challenges and will highlight the road ahead for the next 4-5 years when the work for the development of the next WHO Guidelines will likely commence.

Results: Despite adverse funding conditions commonly encountered in epidemiological research, ProPASS has grown very fast and is already making an impact in the broader fields of physical behaviour and physical activity. However, its trajectory to date alone is not guarantee of future success. As ProPASS grows so does its breadth of activities and its resource needs. This creates opportunities for more impact but also poses threats on its longevity.

Conclusions: Although ProPASS stands on solid foundations, the next 5 years are critical in determining to what extend ProPASS will fulfil its vision. The support of organisations like ISPAH and its community, will likely be critical for its success.

Practical implications: We will share with the ISPAH Congress insights and lessons learnt from the ProPASS consortium and highlight future directions.

Abstract 2. Key successes from ProPASS consortium: first published papers from six cohorts from our pilot resource

Speakers: Joanna M Blodgett, Matthew Ahmadi

Background: Here we summarise results from the first empirical papers from ProPASS, published in the last year in the European Heart Journal and Diabetologia.

Purpose: We investigated: i) interdependent associations of moderate-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), light intensity PA (LIPA), standing, sedentary behaviour (SB) and sleep with cardiometabolic outcomes; and ii) dose-response associations between activity type (standing, walking, stair climbing, fast walking/running) and cardiometabolic outcomes.

Methods: We pooled data from six cohort studies (n>15,000). Raw accelerometer data was re-processed using the ActiPASS software. For aim i, we conducted compositional logistic regression to explore associations between various compositions of time spent in movement behaviors and six cardiometabolic outcomes, and investigate various behavioural reallocation modelling estimates. For aim ii, we employed generalized linear models with splines to investigate dose-response relationships between activity types and each outcome.

Results: Aim i) More MVPA and less time spent sedentary – relative to sleeping, standing and light activity – was associated with better cardiometabolic outcomes. Less than 10min/day of reallocation of other behaviours into MVPA was associated with significant improvements in outcomes. Aim ii) Accumulating >5 min/day (z-score= -0.14 [-0.24, -0.03] of stair climbing or >64 min/day (-0.14 [-0.25, -0.02] of walking was associated with more favourable composite cardiometabolic health. Every additional minute of stair climbing up to 12 min/day was associated with a similar rate of change as running for the same time interval

Conclusions: Findings on 24-hour movement behaviours may guide more personalised guidance on how an individual can modify their 24-hour movement for cardiometabolic benefits. Findings on cardiometabolic health and durations of different activities of daily living and posture may guide future interventions involving lifestyle modification.
Practical implications: This session will share with the ISPAH Congress audience initial evidence from the ProPASS consortium experience to date and introduce future areas of research.

Practical implications: This session will share with the ISPAH Congress audience initial evidence from the ProPASS consortium experience to date and introduce future areas of research.

Abstract 3. New directions and emergent findings from the first ProPASS resource

Annemarie Koster, Joanna M Blodgett, Matthew Ahmadi

Background: The health benefits of moderate to vigorous physical activity and sleep are well-described. Much less is known about the patterns of physical activity and health and in particular the potential health benefits of very short activity bouts in daily living. Further, fewer studies have investigated the full spectrum of daily movement behaviours (including sleep) and assess their interdependencies on health outcomes.

Purpose: In this session we present results from ongoing analysis from the ProPASS consortium on the i) association between activity micropatterns and ii) sleep duration and regularity with cardiometabolic outcomes; iii) compositional individual participant data analyses on sedentary behaviour, sleep, standing, walking (light and fast) and exercise-like behaviours with blood pressure.

Methods: In the first ProPASS recourse we harmonised data from over 15,000 participants across six international cohort studies. Outcomes included body mass index, waist circumference, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, total cholesterol, triglycerides, HbA1c, systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure.

Results: We will use generalised linear models with splines to examine dose-response associations between micropatternns of physical activity (aim i) and sleep (aim ii) with cardiometabolic outcomes. We will conduct compositional data analysis to examine associations between different compositions of time spent in movement behaviours and each blood pressure outcome, including examining minimal and optimal reallocation of time between behaviours (aim iii).

Conclusions: These studies will provide insight into associations of novel aspects of physical behaviour and health and how reallocating time in one behaviour by another behaviour affects health.

Practical implications: This session shows the scientific value of the first ProPASS resource for novel research on physical behaviour and health.

Funding (all abstracts): British Heart Foundation Special Grant (SP/F/20/150002); NHMRC (Australia) Investigator Grant (APP1194510); NHMRC Ideas Grant (APP1180812); Cancer Research UK Prevention and Population Grant (PRCPJT-Nov23/100005); PAL Technologies; University of Sydney Research Accelerator (SOAR); WUN, The Worldwide Universities Network; Charles Perkins Centre, University of Sydney.