Diana C. Parra

Evidence-based intervention in physical activity: lessons from around the world

Promotion of physical activity is a priority for health agencies. We searched for reviews of physical activity interventions, published between 2000 and 2011, and identified effective, promising, or emerging interventions from around the world. The informational approaches of community-wide and mass media campaigns, and short physical activity messages targeting key community sites are recommended. Behavioural and social approaches are effective, introducing social support for physical activity within communities and worksites, and school-based strategies that encompass physical education, classroom activities, after-school sports, and active transport. Recommended environmental and policy approaches include creation and improvement of access to places for physical activity with informational outreach activities, community-scale and street-scale urban design and land use, active transport policy and practices, and community-wide policies and planning. Thus, many approaches lead to acceptable increases in physical activity among people of various ages, and from different social groups, countries, and communities.

Built environment attributes and walking patterns among the elderly population in Bogotá.

BACKGROUND There is increasing evidence that the built environment has an influence on physical activity; however, little is known about this relationship in developing countries. PURPOSE This study examined the associations between attributes of the built environment and walking patterns among the elderly. METHODS A multilevel cross-sectional study was conducted in 2007. Fifty neighborhoods were selected and 1966 participants aged > or =60 years were surveyed. Objective built environment measures were obtained in a buffer of 500 m using GIS. Environmental perceptions were assessed via questionnaire. RESULTS People who lived in areas with middle park area (4.53%-7.98% of land) were more likely to walk for at least 60 minutes during a usual week (prevalence OR [POR]=1.42, 95% CI=1.02, 1.98). Those who lived in areas with the highest connectivity index (1.81-1.99) were less likely to report walking for at least 60 minutes (POR=0.64, 95% CI=0.44, 0.93). Participants who reported feeling safe or very safe from traffic were more likely to report walking for at least 60 minutes (POR=1.50, 95% CI=1.11, 2.03). The presence of Ciclovía (recreational program) was marginally associated with having walked at least 150 minutes in a usual week (POR=1.29, 95% CI=0.97, 1.73). CONCLUSIONS This study showed that certain built and perceived environment characteristics were associated with walking among older adults living in Bogotá. Further studies should be conducted to better understand the potential influence of the built environment on physical activity among the elderly population in the context of Latin American cities.

Perceived and objective neighborhood environment attributes and health related quality of life among the elderly in Bogotá, Colombia

This study examines associations between neighborhood environment attributes and health related quality of life (HRQOL) and self-rated health (SRH) among older adults (60 years and over) in Bogotá, Colombia. Perceived and objective neighborhood environmental characteristics were assessed in a cross sectional multilevel design with 1966 older adults within 50 neighborhoods. Outcome variables included HRQOL (physical and mental dimensions) and SRH measured with the Spanish version of the Short Form 8 (SF-8). Independent variables included perceived and objective neighborhood characteristics as well as self-reported levels of walking. Hierarchical linear and logistic regression models were used for the analysis. Among perceived neighborhood characteristics, safety from traffic was positively associated with both HRQOL dimensions and SRH. Having safe parks was positively associated with the mental dimension of HRQOL and with SRH. Street noise was negatively associated with both HRQOL dimensions. Regarding objective neighborhood characteristics, residing in areas with more than eight percent of land covered by public parks was positively associated with SRH. Objective and perceived neighborhood characteristics could provide insight into potential interventions among older adults from rapidly urbanizing settings in Latin America.

Perceived environmental correlates of physical activity for leisure and transportation in Curitiba, Brazil

BACKGROUND Physical activity (PA) has consistently been associated with perceived environmental characteristics. OBJECTIVE To examine the association between perceived environmental attributes and various forms of PA in Curitiba, Brazil. METHODS A cross-sectional phone survey of adults was conducted in 2008 (n=2097). The questionnaire included environmental perceptions and PA. Principal components analysis was used to identify groups of perceived environmental attributes. Multivariate methods tested the associations of PA with perceived environment characteristics. RESULTS Perceptions of moderate and high personal safety were positively associated with walking for transportation (53.0%, 53.1% vs. 47.3%, both adjusted ORs [aOR]=1.5). Number of destinations within a 10-minute walk (4 and >6 vs. <3) was positively associated with bicycling for transportation (7.8%, 9.9% vs.4.8%, aOR=2.5). Perception of high accessibility was positively associated with MVPA during leisure time (35.1% vs. 19.1, aOR=1.7) and meeting recommendations for total PA (58.7% vs. 45.1%, aOR=1.4). Perception of high quality of the pedestrian space (57.3% vs. 46.5%, aOR=1.4) and moderate levels of personal safety (54.3% vs. 47.6%, aOR=1.3) were also positively associated with meeting recommendations for total PA. CONCLUSIONS Different environmental attributes were associated with different PA outcomes, suggesting that these relationships are complex and may differ from those in high-income countries.

Food Classification Systems Based on Food Processing: Significance and Implications for Policies and Actions: A Systematic Literature Review and Assessment

This paper is the first to make a systematic review and assessment of the literature that attempts methodically to incorporate food processing into classification of diets. The review identified 1276 papers, of which 110 were screened and 21 studied, derived from five classification systems. This paper analyses and assesses the five systems, one of which has been devised and developed by a research team that includes co-authors of this paper. The quality of the five systems is assessed and scored according to how specific, coherent, clear, comprehensive and workable they are. Their relevance to food, nutrition and health, and their use in various settings, is described. The paper shows that the significance of industrial food processing in shaping global food systems and supplies and thus dietary patterns worldwide, and its role in the pandemic of overweight and obesity, remains overlooked and underestimated. Once food processing is systematically incorporated into food classifications, they will be more useful in assessing and monitoring dietary patterns. Food classification systems that emphasize industrial food processing, and that define and distinguish relevant different types of processing, will improve understanding of how to prevent and control overweight, obesity and related chronic non-communicable diseases, and also malnutrition. They will also be a firmer basis for rational policies and effective actions designed to protect and improve public health at all levels from global to local.

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.

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

School-based physical education programs: evidence-based physical activity interventions for youth in Latin America

971.45-3341.64 vs. US

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

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

Television viewing and its association with overweight in Colombian children: results from the 2005 National Nutrition Survey: A cross sectional study

971.45-3341.64 vs. US