Adriano Akira Ferreira Hino

Perceived Stress Scale Reliability and Validity Study in Brazil

The perceived stress scale (PSS-10) reliability and validity were evaluated in Brazilian adults. A two-stage translation procedure was employed to achieve a Portuguese version. Participants were 793 Brazilian university teachers. The exploratory factor analysis showed two factors with eigenvalues greater than 1.0 (56.8% of variance). The Cronbachs alpha coefficients were 0.83 (Factor 1), 0.77 (Factor 2) and 0.87 (Total Score). The test-retest reliability scores were 0.83 (Factor 1), 0.68 (Factor 2) and 0.86 (Total Score). PSS-10 and perceived health correlations ranged from -0.22 to -0.35. The PSS-10 showed an adequate reliability and validity supporting its use in this population.The perceived stress scale (PSS-10) reliability and validity were evaluated in Brazilian adults. A two-stage translation procedure was employed to achieve a Portuguese version. Participants were 793 Brazilian university teachers. The exploratory factor analysis showed two factors with eigenvalues greater than 1.0 (56.8% of variance). The Cronbach’s alpha coefficients were 0.83 (Factor 1), 0.77 (Factor 2) and 0.87 (Total Score). The test—retest reliability scores were 0.83 (Factor 1), 0.68 (Factor 2) and 0.86 (Total Score). PSS-10 and perceived health correlations ranged from —0.22 to —0.35. The PSS-10 showed an adequate reliability and validity supporting its use in this population.

Assessing Physical Activity in Public Parks in Brazil Using Systematic Observation

OBJECTIVES We assessed park use in Recife, Brazil, and differences in physical activity and occupation rates in public parks with and without the Academia da Cidade Program (ACP), which provides cost-free, supervised physical activity classes. METHODS We used the System for Observing Play and Recreation in Communities (SOPARC) in 128 targeted areas in 10 park sites (5 ACP sites, 5 non-ACP sites) to obtain data on the number of users and their physical activity levels and estimated age. Each area was assessed 4 times a day for 11 days over a 4-week period. RESULTS A total of 32 974 people were observed during 5589 observation visits to target areas. People using ACP parks were more likely to be seen engaging in moderate-to-vigorous (64% vs 49%) and vigorous (25% vs 10%) physical activity. Relatively more participants in ACP sites than in non-ACP sites were females (45% vs 42% of park users) and older adults (14.7% vs 5.7% of park users). CONCLUSIONS On the basis of systematic observation, ACP appears to be a useful strategy in promoting park use and physical activity among the population in Recife.

International variation in neighborhood walkability, transit, and recreation environments using geographic information systems: the IPEN adult study.

BackgroundThe World Health Organization recommends strategies to improve urban design, public transportation, and recreation facilities to facilitate physical activity for non-communicable disease prevention for an increasingly urbanized global population. Most evidence supporting environmental associations with physical activity comes from single countries or regions with limited variation in urban form. This paper documents variation in comparable built environment features across countries from diverse regions.MethodsThe International Physical Activity and the Environment Network (IPEN) study of adults aimed to measure the full range of variation in the built environment using geographic information systems (GIS) across 12 countries on 5 continents. Investigators in Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Colombia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, China, Mexico, New Zealand, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States followed a common research protocol to develop internationally comparable measures. Using detailed instructions, GIS-based measures included features such as walkability (i.e., residential density, street connectivity, mix of land uses), and access to public transit, parks, and private recreation facilities around each participant’s residential address using 1-km and 500-m street network buffers.ResultsEleven of 12 countries and 15 cities had objective GIS data on built environment features. We observed a 38-fold difference in median residential densities, a 5-fold difference in median intersection densities and an 18-fold difference in median park densities. Hong Kong had the highest and North Shore, New Zealand had the lowest median walkability index values, representing a difference of 9 standard deviations in GIS-measured walkability.ConclusionsResults show that comparable measures can be created across a range of cultural settings revealing profound global differences in urban form relevant to physical activity. These measures allow cities to be ranked more precisely than previously possible. The highly variable measures of urban form will be used to explain individuals’ physical activity, sedentary behaviors, body mass index, and other health outcomes on an international basis. Present measures provide the ability to estimate dose–response relationships from projected changes to the built environment that would otherwise be impossible.

The built environment and recreational physical activity among adults in Curitiba, Brazil.

OBJECTIVE To examine the relationship between objective measures of the built environment (BE) and recreational physical activity (PA) in adults from Curitiba, Brazil. METHOD A phone survey was carried among a random sample of 1206 people. Walking during leisure time (WLT) and moderate and vigorous recreational PA (MVPA) was measured using IPAQ. Characteristics of the BE were determined in an area of 500 m surrounding respondents homes. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to estimate the associations between recreational PA and BE. RESULTS After adjusting for confounders, WLT was associated with area income level US

Physical activity interventions in Latin America: expanding and classifying the evidence.

971.45-3341.64 vs. US

Walkability and Physical Activity: Findings from Curitiba, Brazil

167.05-461.06 (25.7% vs. 11.1% POR=2.5; 95% CI=1.5-4.4), having ≥ 2 gyms vs. none (26.1% vs. 12.7%, POR=1.9; 95% CI=1.2-3.0) and distance to recreation centers, 1769.1-2835.5 km vs. 2835.6-10,212.3 km (22.1% vs. 11.0%, POR=2.3; 95% CI=(1.0-2.5). MVPA was associated with neighborhood income US

Bicycling and Walking for Transportation in Three Brazilian Cities

971.45-3341.64 vs. US

Prevalência de lesões em corredores de rua e fatores associados

167.05-461.06 (47.6% vs. 22.0% POR=3.0; 95% CI=1.5-5.9) and having ≥ 2 gyms vs. none (41.7% vs. 26.0%, POR=1.5; 95% CI=1.11-2.1). CONCLUSION The presence of some recreational facilities for PA was associated with recommended levels of PA during leisure time in Curitiba, Brazil.

Personal, social and environmental correlates of physical activity in adults from Curitiba, Brazil

Context Systematic reviews of public health interventions are useful for identifying effective strategies for informing policy and practice. The goals of this review were to (1) update a previous systematic review of physical activity interventions in Latin America which found that only school-based physical education had sufficient evidence to recommend widespread adoption; (2) assess the reporting of external validity elements; and (3) develop and apply an evidence typology for classifying interventions. Evidence acquisition In 2010–2011, community-level, physical activity intervention studies from Latin America were identified, categorized, and screened based on the peer-reviewed literature or Brazilian theses published between 2006 and 2010. Articles meeting inclusion criteria were evaluated using U.S. Community Guide methods. External validity reporting was assessed among a subset of articles reviewed to date. An evidence rating typology was developed and applied to classify interventions along a continuum based on evidence about their effectiveness in the U.S. context, reach, adoption, implementation, institutionalization, and benefits and costs. Evidence synthesis Thirteen articles published between 2006 and 2010 met inclusion criteria and were abstracted systematically, yet when combined with evidence from articles from the previous systematic review, no additional interventions could be recommended for practice. Moreover, the reporting of external validity elements was low among a subset of 19 studies published to date (median=21% of elements reported). By applying the expanded evidence rating typology, one intervention was classified as evidence-based, seven as promising, and one as emerging. Conclusions Several physical activity interventions have been identified as promising for future research and implementation in Latin America. Enhanced reporting of external validity elements will inform the translation of research into practice.

Neighborhood safety and physical inactivity in adults from Curitiba, Brazil

BACKGROUND Evidence from developing countries is limited on how income level for a given neighborhood is related to physical activity among its residents. PURPOSE The goal of the study was to examine the association between walkability and physical activity outcomes, and the effect of income on the relationship between walkability and physical activity in adults. METHODS The Spaces for Physical Activity in Adults Study (ESPACOS Project) took place in Curitiba, Brazil. Data were collected in 2010 in 32 census tracts selected to vary in income and walkability, as measured by GIS. Participants were 697 individuals aged 18-65 years (52.0% were women) randomly sampled from the selected neighborhoods. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire was used to measure physical activity. All analyses were conducted in 2012. RESULTS The proportion of those who walked for transportation for ≥ 150 minutes/week was 21.1% in low-walkability areas, and ranged from 33.5% to 35.0% in high-walkability areas. A total of 12.6% of residents were found to walk for leisure for ≥ 150 minutes/week; this result did not vary across quadrants of walkability and income level. The prevalence of leisure-time moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) was 7.1-10.5 percentage points higher in high-compared to low-walkability areas. After adjusting for all individual confounders, walkability showed an independent association with walking for transport (OR=2.10, 95% CI=1.31, 3.37, p=0.002) and leisure-time MVPA (OR=1.57, 95% CI=1.06, 2.32, p=0.024). Neighborhood income level was independently associated with leisure-time MVPA (OR=1.70, 95% CI=1.06, 2.74, p=0.029). No association was found between walkability and walking for leisure. No interaction was found between walkability and neighborhood income level. CONCLUSIONS This study, among adults living in Curitiba, Brazil, confirms findings from studies of high-income countries showing that walkability is positively associated with physical activity. People living in high-walkability areas were more likely to be physically active regardless of their neighborhood income level.