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. The documentary analysis indicated that despite the benefits and opportunities provided by the programs and existing infrastructure in the examined cities, an overall concern is the rising inequality in the coverage and distribution of the initiatives in the region. If these programs and initiatives are to achieve a real population level effect that helps to reduce health disparities, they need to examine their social and spatial distribution within the cities so they can reach underserved populations and develop to their full potential.
Departamento de Medicina Preventiva y Social, Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Colombia. Electronic address: l.gomezg@javeriana.edu.co.
Luis F
LF
Gomez
Departamento de Medicina Preventiva y Social, Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Colombia.
Rodrigo
R
Sarmiento
Departamento de Medicina Preventiva y Social, Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Colombia.
Maria Fernanda
MF
Ordoñez
Fundación Despacio, Colombia.
Carlos Felipe
CF
Pardo
Núcleo de Pesquisas Epidemioloógicas em Nutrição e Saúde, Faculdade de Saúde Pública, Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil.
Thiago Hérick
TH
de Sá
Departamento de Medicina Preventiva y Social, Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Colombia.
Christina H
CH
Mallarino
CRONICAS Center of Excellence in Chronic Diseases, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru; Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru.
J Jaime
JJ
Miranda
Grupo de Epidemiología y Salud Poblacional (GESP), Escuela de Salud Pública Universidad del Valle, Colombia.
Janeth
J
Mosquera
Centro de Investigaciones Epidemiologicas en Nutricion y Salud, Departamento de Nutricion, Escuela e Salud Publica, Universidad de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil; Program in Physical Therapy, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA.
Diana C
DC
Parra
School of Health and Biosciences, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná, Brazil.
Rodrigo
R
Reis
Harborview Injury Prevention & Research Center, University of Washington, USA.
D Alex
DA
Quistberg
D006291:Health Policy; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D007843:Latin America; D009043:Motor Activity; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014504:Urban Health; D014505:Urban Population
Latin America; Physical activity; Urban environments