Where Latin Americans are physically active, and why does it matter? Findings from the IPEN-adult study in Bogota, Colombia; Cuernavaca, Mexico; and Curitiba, Brazil

Abstract

Latin America (LA) has a unique structural, political, cultural and social environment. This study aimed to identify the places where Latin American adults are physically active; and to determine the association of using public- and restricted-access places with physical activity (PA). We used data from the International PA Environment Network study in Bogota, Colombia (n=1000, accelerometry=249); Cuernavaca, Mexico (n=677, accelerometry=652); and Curitiba, Brazil (n=697, accelerometry=331) (2010-2011). Walking and moderate-to-vigorous PA for leisure were measured with the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Overall PA and PA within 10-minute bouts were measured with accelerometers. Participants reported use of public- and restricted-access places for PA. Mixed-effects regression models were used to determine the association of using public- and restricted-access places with PA. The streets were the most frequently-reported place for PA, and walking was the most common PA in the studied places. ‘Informal’, non-exercise-or-sports places (e.g., shopping malls) ranked high for use for PA in Bogota and Cuernavaca. In Curitiba, use of ‘formal’ places for sports/exercise (e.g., gyms) was more prevalent. Using public-access places was directly related to walking for leisure in all cities, and to additional PA outcomes in Bogota and Cuernavaca. In Cuernavaca and Curitiba, using restricted-access places was also associated with PA. Our study highlights the importance of public-access places for PA in LA. In some contexts, places for social interaction may be as important for PA as places for exercise/sport. Strategies increasing the availability, accessibility and quality of these places may effectively promote PA in LA.

Neighbourhood Environment Features and Active Commuting in Chennai, India

“…Several land-use and transportation factors are known to be associated with active commuting [9,37,39,40]. Consistent with other international studies from both high-income countries and LMICs, the strongest correlate of active commuting and use of public transit was land use mix [24,[41][42][43].…”

“…Achieving increased active commuting requires coordinated work among various stakeholders, but the benefits are numerous, and go beyond physical inactivity and sedentary lifestyles, including positive impacts on traffic congestion, air pollution, and carbon emissions [66,67]. However, the present study adds to other evidence from LMICs [35,37,48] that car ownership appears to negate any effect of walkable neighborhood design on active commuting. Thus, special efforts may be needed to encourage car owners in LMICs to walk for transport, in addition to activity supportive built environments.…”

“…A large majority of the prior evidence on built environment correlates of active commuting was limited to high-income countries, and more recently, some LMICs in South America and Africa [37,38]. Findings from this initial study in India highlight some contrasting results in comparison with those reported in high-income countries, emphasizing the need for more high quality epidemiologic studies from LMICs.…”

Quality of public urban parks for physical activity practice in Bucaramanga, Colombia

“…In this sense, the access to locations such as parks, plazas and bicycle routes becomes important for the development of active healthy lifestyles in the population [2][3][4][5] . Aspects such as the availability of areas for walking, green areas and access to recreational facilities as well as the aesthetics of the surroundings are positively associated with physical activity 1,2,6 .…”

“…Evidence shows that living in areas of low socioeconomic level is inversely associate to physical activity, which could be explained by lack of adequate spaces for practice [13][14][15] . This is important, once in Colombia (Bogotá) it was found that 55% of the population uses parks and plazas for physical activity and, moreover, that the use of these spaces can increase in 310% the likelihood of reaching the recommendations of physical activity for health, in leisure time 5 .…”