Publications by authors named "Andrea Ramirez-Varela"
Introduction: The Global Observatory for Physical Education (GoPE!) builds on the Global Observatory for Physical Activity (GoPA!) to address gaps in surveillance, policy, and research on physical education (PE) and activity (PA). GoPE! is a worldwide surveillance system of quality PE and school-based PA that informs policy and interventions and allows comparative analysis so that each country and region can check their status and progress. This paper presents GoPE!'s conceptual framework and describes the research protocol as a cross-continental and evidence-based surveillance system.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCOVID-19 Pandemic Preparedness and Response in Latin American Countries: Scoping Review and Analysis Based on World Health Organization Standards.
Disaster Med Public Health Prep
November 2024
Objective: To describe COVID-19 pandemic preparedness and response in 6 countries during 2020 and 2021.
Methods: A literature search was conducted in MEDLINE, Web of Science, Epistemonikos, LILACS, and Google Scholar regarding the measures adopted to face the COVID-19 pandemic; the checklist of the international World Healths Organization's (WHO) guide "COVID-19 Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan" was applied.
Results: Most countries coordinated their response at the central level with the establishment of management teams and the activation of emergency operations centers for the coordination of the response to the pandemic.
Background: The purpose of this paper is to examine the evolution of physical activity research and the comprehensiveness of national physical activity policies and surveillance systems in Canada.
Methods: A systematic review was conducted by the Global Observatory for Physical Activity (GoPA! ) on physical activity and health publications between 1950 and 2019. Findings from Canada were extracted and included in the present analysis.
Article Synopsis
- The study examines government efforts to promote physical activity (PA) both before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting its impact on PA policies worldwide.
- Surveys from 2023 included responses from 105 participants across 61 countries, revealing that while 82% had national PA policies, COVID-19 significantly disrupted their implementation, with less than 40% integrating PA into their pandemic responses.
- The findings emphasize the need to prioritize PA in public health agendas post-pandemic, focusing on resource allocation, partnerships, and addressing participation inequities, which are vital for effective policy moving forward.
Background And Aims: Acute respiratory failure (ARF) is the most frequent cause of cardiorespiratory arrest and subsequent death in children worldwide. There have been limited studies regarding ARF in high altitude settings. The aim of this study was to calculate mortality and describe associated factors for severity and mortality in children with ARF.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- This article analyzes the growth of physical activity and health research in China from 1950 to 2019, focusing on 610 publications that included data collected in China.
- The findings show a significant increase in publications over time, from just one per year in the 1990s to an average of 47 per year in the 2010s, with most research concentrated on correlates, determinants, and health consequences of physical activity.
- The study also highlights that female authorship in these publications increased from 64% in the 1990s to 90% in the 2010s, while research on interventions and policy remains relatively scarce compared to other areas.
Article Synopsis
- - The study assessed how the COVID-19 pandemic affected self-perceived mental health in adults from Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, and Chile, surveying over 8,000 individuals in 2021.
- - About 28.75% of the participants reported mental health issues, with higher risks found among unemployed individuals, those with a poor quality of life, and those of higher socioeconomic status.
- - Brazilian respondents who disagreed with their government’s decisions or lacked trust in it were also more likely to report mental health alterations, highlighting the influence of political and social factors on mental health during the pandemic.
Background: The objective of this study was to investigate gender differences in authorship in physical activity and health research.
Methods: A bibliometric study including 23,399 articles from 105 countries was conducted to estimate the participation of female researchers in physical activity publications from 1950 to 2019. The frequency of female researchers was analyzed and classified by first and last authors and the overall percentage of female authors by region and country.
Objective: To describe the evolution of physical activity (PA) research in Africa, examine income and gender inequalities, and discuss future possibilities.
Methods: A secondary analyses of the Global Observatory for Physical Activity data on PA research in Africa (1950-2019).
Results: We identified 514 PA articles from 47 African countries in the past 70 years.
Article Synopsis
- This study explores the national and subnational physical activity (PA) policy processes in selected Latin American countries, focusing on how these levels interact during agenda setting, formulation, adoption, implementation, and evaluation of policies.
- Using the GoPA! INTEGRATE-PA-Pol tool, data was collected from policymakers in Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Mexico, finding that most respondents work in health-related sectors and report the existence of PA policies linked to noncommunicable disease prevention.
- Results indicate a central role for subnational actors in PA promotion, but low collaboration between national and subnational policymakers across the entire policy process, highlighting a need for better engagement.
Article Synopsis
- - The study focuses on the creation of the INTEGRATE PA-Pol Tool, which examines the collaboration between national and local governments in developing and implementing physical activity promotion policies.
- - It was developed through a three-phase process: conducting a scoping review of local policies, designing six questionnaires with an expert group, and validating these tools with cognitive response testing.
- - The tool offers a structured approach to evaluate and enhance cooperation between different government levels, helping to monitor and improve the effectiveness of physical activity policies.
Article Synopsis
- The COVID-19 pandemic revealed significant gaps in prevention, preparedness, and response (PPR) efforts across South America, with the region experiencing a high percentage of global cases and deaths.
- This study analyzed the impacts of political, socioeconomic, and health system challenges on PPR in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and Peru, using interviews and focus groups with key policymakers.
- Findings indicated that insufficient political will and barriers at various levels hindered effective PPR, prompting recommendations for a regional COVID-19 task force and improved health strategies to prioritize PPR in national agendas.
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates the burden of acute respiratory failure (ARF) in children by calculating disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) to inform public health policies and interventions.
- Conducted in Bogotá, Colombia, it included pediatric patients experiencing respiratory distress from April 2020 to December 2021, with follow-ups and quality of life assessments conducted 30 and 60 days post-admission.
- Findings revealed that out of 296 ARF cases, there were 22 deaths, resulting in a total of 277,164 DALYs, highlighting ARF as a significant cause of preventable mortality and its negative impact on the pediatric population's health and quality of life.
Background: A significant gap remains between the availability of physical activity (PA) evidence-based interventions and their application in real-world settings in policy and practice areas. This study aims to describe highly cited and high altmetrics publications in PA research and explore their impact on PA policy and practice.
Methods: Mixed-methods sequential explanatory study including the identification and description of the top highly cited and high altmetrics PA publications from the last 10 years (including study design, population, type of PA study, number of citations, and altmetrics score), and interviews with key informants regarding research dissemination and implications on PA policy and practice.
Article Synopsis
- Acute respiratory failure (ARF) is a significant cause of illness and hospitalization in children, often requiring high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) for treatment.
- A study conducted across three hospitals in Bogota tracked 685 pediatric patients, finding that 48% of those with ARF needed HFNC, particularly due to bronchiolitis, asthma, and pneumonia.
- The HFNC failure rate was relatively low at 10.6%, indicating its effectiveness and potential for wider use in various pediatric respiratory conditions.
The role of gender inequality and health expenditure on the coverage of demand for family planning satisfied by modern contraceptives: a multilevel analysis of cross-sectional studies in 14 LAC countries.
Lancet Reg Health Am
March 2023
Article Synopsis
- The study explores the impact of country-level Gender Inequality and Health Expenditure on modern contraceptive use among sexually active women in 14 Latin American and Caribbean countries.
- Results showed that the use of modern contraceptives varied significantly, with Haiti at 41.8% and Colombia at 85.6%, indicating a median coverage of 77.8%.
- Findings suggest that women's education, wealth, and the level of gender inequality in a country influence the likelihood of meeting family planning needs with modern methods.
Introduction: During the COVID-19 pandemic, women disproportionately assume more unpaid activities, affecting their employment.
Objective: Describe the influence of COVID-19 on the employment of caregivers of children and adolescents from a gender perspective.
Methods: Cross-sectional study in three high-complexity hospitals in Bogotá, Colombia from April 2020 to June 2021.
Incidence, etiology, sociodemographic and clinical characterization of acute respiratory failure in pediatric patients at a high-altitude city: A multicenter cohort study.
Front Pediatr
December 2022
Background: Acute respiratory failure is a life-threatening medical condition, associated with a variety of conditions and risk factors, including acute respiratory diseases which are a frequent cause of pediatric morbidity and mortality worldwide. In Colombia, the literature related to ARF is scarce.
Objective: To determine the incidence, causes, and sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of ARF in three hospitals in Bogota, a high-altitude city located in Colombia, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 transmission in close contacts of adults at high risk of infection due to occupation: results from the contact tracing strategy of the CoVIDA epidemiological surveillance study in Bogotá, Colombia, in 2020-2021.
BMJ Open
December 2022
Article Synopsis
- The CoVIDA study in Bogotá D.C., Colombia aimed to identify risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 transmission among close contacts of high-risk adults through extensive contact tracing and testing.
- The study involved over 60,000 RT-PCR tests, resulting in the identification of 5,551 close contacts, with a secondary attack rate (SAR) of 21.1%, indicating significant transmission risk.
- Key findings showed that spouses, contacts of informally employed individuals, symptomatic cases, and those living in larger households had the highest SAR rates, emphasizing the need for targeted contact tracing in vulnerable socioeconomic settings.
Background: Physical activity (PA) surveillance, policy, and research efforts need to be periodically appraised to gain insight into national and global capacities for PA promotion. The aim of this paper was to assess the status and trends in PA surveillance, policy, and research in 164 countries.
Methods: We used data from the Global Observatory for Physical Activity (GoPA!) 2015 and 2020 surveys.
Effectiveness and adherence to closed face shields in the prevention of COVID-19 transmission: a non-inferiority randomized controlled trial in a middle-income setting (COVPROSHIELD).
Trials
August 2022
Article Synopsis
- - The study investigated the effectiveness of using closed face shields along with surgical masks to reduce the transmission of COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) among working adults in Bogotá, Colombia during the pandemic.
- - Participants were randomly divided into two groups: one wore closed face shields with surgical masks while the other group wore only surgical masks, and the primary outcome assessed was the rate of positive COVID-19 test results over a follow-up period of 21 days.
- - Results showed that the closed face shield plus surgical mask combination was not less effective than using just a surgical mask, with very low rates of infection in both groups, suggesting that this method could be suitable for high-risk settings.