Analysis of the use of public open spaces and physical activity levels in children and adolescents from Rivera (Uruguay).

This study aimed to analyze the use of public open spaces and physical activity levels among children and adolescents in the city of Rivera, Uruguay. A total of 88 target areas located in 29 public open spaces were observed using the System for Observing Play and Recreation in Communities (SOPARC). Systematic observations were made at different times of the day, covering both weekdays and weekends, for a total of 792 records in each public open spaces.

Built environment in programs to promote physical activity among Latino children and youth living in the United States and in Latin America.

To prevent obesity among Latino youth in the United States and Latin America, it is necessary to understand the specific context and interplay of physical activity (PA) and the built environment (BE). This paper aims to advance the research agenda of BE and PA for obesity prevention in Latin America and among Latino youth in the United States by (1) identifying environmental indicators to inform the design of interventions and policy, (2) identifying interdisciplinary methodological approaches for the study of the complex association between BE and PA, and (3) presenting case studies of PA-promoting BE programs. A group of U.

Do associations of sex, age and education with transport and leisure-time physical activity differ across 17 cities in 12 countries?

Background: Leisure-time and transport activity domains are studied most often because they are considered more amenable to intervention, but to date evidence on these domains is limited. The aim of the present study was to examine patterns of socio-demographic correlates of adults' leisure-time and transport physical activity and how these associations varied across 17 cities in 12 countries.

Methods: Participants (N = 13,745) aged 18-66 years in the IPEN Adult study and with complete data on socio-demographic and self-reported physical activity characteristics were included.

Study protocol: healthy urban living and ageing in place (HULAP): an international, mixed methods study examining the associations between physical activity, built and social environments for older adults the UK and Brazil.

Background: The ability to 'age in place' is dependent on a range of inter-personal, social and built environment attributes, with the latter being a key area for potential intervention. There is an emerging body of evidence that indicates the type of built environment features that may best support age friendly communities, but there is a need to expand and consolidate this, while generating a better understanding of how on how research findings can be most effectively be translated in to policy and practice.

Methods: The study is based on two case study cities, Curtiba (Brazil) and Belfast (UK), which have highly contrasting physical, social and policy environments.

International comparison of observation-specific spatial buffers: maximizing the ability to estimate physical activity.

Background: Advancements in geographic information systems over the past two decades have increased the specificity by which an individual's neighborhood environment may be spatially defined for physical activity and health research. This study investigated how different types of street network buffering methods compared in measuring a set of commonly used built environment measures (BEMs) and tested their performance on associations with physical activity outcomes.

Methods: An internationally-developed set of objective BEMs using three different spatial buffering techniques were used to evaluate the relative differences in resulting explanatory power on self-reported physical activity outcomes.

Promoting physical activity and quality of life in Vitoria, Brazil: evaluation of the Exercise Orientation Service (EOS) program.

Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate associations between exposure to the Exercise Orientation Service (EOS) program and physical activity (PA) and quality of life (QoL) in adults from Vitoria, Brazil.

Methods: A phone survey was conducted with 2023 randomly selected participants (≥ 18 years) to measure awareness about the program, participation in the program, PA levels, and QoL. The associations were tested using Poisson and Linear regression models.