Social conditions and urban environment associated with participation in the Ciclovia program among adults from Cali, Colombia.

The Ciclovia program (CP) has emerged as an effective initiative to promote active living in urban spaces in Latin America. This study assessed the association between social conditions, the urban environment and participation in the CP among adults living in the city of Cali, Colombia. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2011 and 2012 among 719 adults aged 18 to 44.

Urban environment interventions linked to the promotion of physical activity: a mixed methods study applied to the urban context of Latin America.

This study summarizes the evidence from quantitative systematic reviews that assessed the association between urban environment attributes and physical activity. It also documents sociopolitical barriers and facilitators involved in urban interventions linked with active living in the ten most populated urban settings of Latin America. The synthesis of evidence indicates that several attributes of urban environments are associated with physical activity, including land-use mix and cycling infrastructure.

An inside look at active transportation in Bogotá: a qualitative study.

Background: The health benefits of physical activity are well documented in scientific literature. Bicycling for transportation is a modality of physical activity that people can incorporate easily into their daily lives.

Methods: A qualitative study using 11 semi-structured individual interviews and 5 focus groups was conducted among 31 male and 13 female adult residents of Bogotá, Colombia in 2006, to explore barriers and facilitators of bicycle use for transportation purposes.

Lessons learned after 10 years of IPAQ use in Brazil and Colombia.

Background: To describe the lessons learned after 10 years of use of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) in Brazil and Colombia, with special emphasis on recommendations for future research in Latin America using this instrument.

Methods: We present an analytical commentary, based on data from a review of the Latin American literature, as well as expert consultation and the authors' experience in administering IPAQ to over 43,000 individuals in Brazil and Colombia between 1998 and 2008.

Results: Validation studies in Latin America suggest that the IPAQ has high reliability and moderate criteria validity in comparison with accelerometers.

Characteristics of the built environment associated with leisure-time physical activity among adults in Bogotá, Colombia: a multilevel study.

Background: Even though there is increasing evidence that the built environment (BE) has an influence on leisure-time physical activity (LTPA), little is known about this relationship in developing countries. The objective of this study was to assess the associations between objective built environment characteristics and LTPA.

Methods: A cross-sectional multilevel study was conducted in 27 neighborhoods in which 1315 adults aged 18-65 years were surveyed.