Purpose: This study aimed to examine the associations of the perceived neighborhood built environment with walking and cycling for transport in inhabitants from Latin American countries. Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 9218 participants (15–65 years) from the Latin American Study of Nutrition and Health, which included a nationally representative sample of eight countries. All participants completed the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Long Form for measure walking and cycling for transport and the Neighborhood Environment Walkability Scale-Abbreviated. Furthermore, perceived proximity from home to public open spaces and shopping centers was assessed. Results: Perceived land use mix-access (OR: 1.32; 95%CI: 1.16,1.50) and the existence of many alternative routes in the neighbourhood (1.09 1.01,1.17) were associated with higher odds of reporting any walking for transport (≥10 min/week). Perceived slow speed of traffic (1.88 1.82,1.93) and few drivers exceeding the speed limits (1.92; 1.86,1.98) were also related to higher odds of reporting any walking for transport. The odds of reporting any cycling for transport (≥10 min/week) were higher in participants perceiving more walking/cycling facilities (1.87 1.76,1.99), and better aesthetics (1.22 1.09,1.38). Conclusions: Dissimilar perceived neighborhood built environment characteristics were associated with walking and cycling for transport among inhabitants from Latin America.

RESUMO Objetivo: Associar indicadores de estilo de vida com a aptidão cardiorrespiratória em adolescentes de Ilhabela, São Paulo. Métodos: A amostra foi composta de 181 adolescentes (53% meninos) que faziam parte do Projeto Misto-Longitudinal de Crescimento, Desenvolvimento e Aptidão Física de Ilhabela. Foram analisados: composição corporal (peso corporal, estatura e índice de massa corpórea, ou IMC), transporte para escola, tempo sentado, atividade física, prática de esportes, tempo de televisão (TV), TV no quarto, sono, percepção de saúde, dieta e nível econômico (NE). A aptidão cardiorrespiratória foi estimada por meio do protocolo progressivo submáximo realizado em um ciclo ergômetro. Foram utilizados modelos de regressão linear com o método stepwise. Resultados: A média de idade da amostra foi de 14,8 anos e a de aptidão cardiorrespiratória foi de 42,2 mL.kg-1.min-1 (42,9 nos meninos e 41,4 nas meninas; p=0,341). Na amostra total, IMC (coeficiente de regressão não estandardizado - B=-0,03), estatura (B=-0,01), NE (B=0,10), sexo (B=0,12) e idade (B=0,03) foram significativamente associados com aptidão cardiorrespiratória. Nos meninos, o IMC, a estatura, não praticar nenhuma atividade esportiva e a idade mostraram associações significativas com a aptidão cardiorrespiratória. Já nas meninas, IMC, NE e TV no quarto associaram-se com aptidão cardiorrespiratória. Conclusões: Indicadores de estilo de vida influenciaram a aptidão cardiorrespiratória, sendo o IMC, o NE e a idade comum entre os sexos. Não praticar esportes, para os meninos, e ter TV no quarto, para as meninas, também influenciaram a aptidão cardiorrespiratória. Medidas de saúde pública para melhorar os indicadores do estilo de vida podem ajudar a aumentar os níveis de aptidão cardiorrespiratória.

The prevalence of tobacco and alcohol use among adolescents is alarming, and these substances are among the leading risk factors for current and future health among adolescents. Physical activity has the potential to help prevent substance use among adolescents. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between physical activity, modes of transportation to or from school, and sitting time with tobacco and alcohol use among 222,495 adolescents. This cross-sectional study used data from national surveys conducted in 66 countries, obtained through the Global School-based Student Health Survey, and included adolescents aged 11 to 17 years. Information on physical activity, transportation to or from school, sitting time, and tobacco and alcohol use was collected through self-report questionnaires. Generalized linear models were employed to estimate the associations between these variables. The analysis, adjusted for sex, age, and region, revealed that being physically active was associated with lower odds of smoking (OR: 0.86, 95%CI: 0.83–0.89), alcohol use (OR: 0.74, 95%CI: 0.72–0.76), binge drinking (OR: 0.66, 95%CI: 0.62–0.69), and drunkenness (OR: 0.85, 95%CI: 0.83–0.88) compared to inactivity. Insufficiently active participants also had lower odds of tobacco use (OR: 0.83, 95%CI: 0.80–0.85), alcohol use (OR: 0.77, 95%CI: 0.75–0.79), binge drinking (OR: 0.91, 95%CI: 0.87–0.96), and drunkenness (OR: 0.88, 95%CI: 0.85–0.90) compared to inactive participants. Additionally, active transportation to or from school was associated with lower odds of tobacco use (OR: 0.97, 95%CI: 0.95–0.99), alcohol use (OR: 0.94, 95%CI: 0.92–0.96), and binge drinking (OR: 0.78, 95%CI: 0.75–0.81) compared to those using passive transportation. Participants with acceptable sitting time, however, were more likely to use tobacco (OR: 1.48, 95%CI: 1.45–1.52), use alcohol (OR: 1.68, 95%CI: 1.64–1.72), binge drink (OR: 1.68, 95%CI: 1.62–1.75), and experience drunkenness (OR: 1.66, 95%CI: 1.62–1.69) compared to those with excessive sitting time. Being physically active, even at insufficient levels, may have beneficial effects on tobacco and alcohol use in adolescents. Acceptable sedentary time, on the other hand, was positively associated with tobacco and alcohol use.

The aim of this study was to describe the use of active transportation to school (ATS) for Brazilian children and adolescents through a systematic review. This review was carried out from February to March of 2018 by using databases from the area, governmental policies and research and by contacting researchers from this area. The databases used were: LILACS; BIREME; SCIELO; MEDLINE and SCOPUS. The search was performed in articles published from January 2007 to December 2017. The inclusion criteria were: original articles published in journals; articles that measured ATS; articles that evaluated Brazilian children and/or adolescents with ages ranging between 0 and 19 years of age, without specific clinical conditions, without diagnoses of diseases and non-athletes. Overall, 19 articles were selected for this study. Only 8 presented ATS values for gender, with boys and girls using ATS similarly, 4 for each gender. Regarding regions, 11 studies presented data from the Southern regions, 3 studies presented data from the Southeastern region, 3 from the Northeastern region and 2 studies presented data from Brazil as a whole. The Northern and Midwestern regions were not studied in any of the articles. Based on the results, the prevalence of ATS for children and adolescents varies according to the studies and regions in Brazil. Authorities should be encouraged to build monitoring systems for ATS to support planning and evaluation of public policies.

SUMMARY OBJECTIVE We investigated the associations between objectively assessed sedentary behavior (SB) and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and body composition variables among a representative sample of Brazilian adults. METHODS Using an accelerometer, SB and MVPA were monitored for at least 5 days in 524 participants (261 men; age, 18-65 years). Each minute epoch was classified as sedentary or spent in light, moderate, or vigorous physical activity (LPA, MPA, and VPA, respectively). The measured body composition variables included abdominal perimeter (AP) and neck circumference (NC). RESULTS Men accumulated significantly more min/day of MPA (37.82 versus 27.28), VPA (1.10 versus 0.31), MVPA (39.02 versus 27.61), and steps/day (14,978 versus 13,443) than women (p<.001). In men, MPA, VPA, MVPA, and steps/day were negatively associated with AP (p<.05) independently of SB. Only VPA was significantly associated with NC (β= 0.113; p=.002). In women, only SB was significantly associated with AP (β= 0.003; p=.031). There were no significant associations between physical activity intensities and body composition in women. CONCLUSIONS Our findings on the unequal association of physical activity with body composition variables between sexes can help inform future intervention strategies in Brasil.

The school environment (SE) plays a crucial role in determining adolescents’ physical activity (PA), including physical education classes, sports spaces and facilities, and active recreation. This study aimed to evaluate the association between the SE and indicators of PA and sitting time (ST), while exploring Brazilian sociodemographic differences. The SE was characterized by PA practices, PA outside regular class hours, running/athletic track condition, use of the courtyard for PA with a professional, participation in inter-school games or physical-sports competitions, and the number of physical education classes per week. PA and ST were assessed via self-report questionnaires, categorizing participants as active or insufficiently active for PA and as having low or excessive ST. The study included a nationally representative sample of 155,019 Brazilian adolescents (50.9% female). Among them, 28.5% were classified as active and 47.3% had adequate ST. Taking two or more physical education classes was positively associated with being active (OR: 1.669; 95% CI: 1.665–1.673) and with having low ST (OR: 1.050; 95% CI: 1.048–1.052). The association between SE characteristics and PA varied by region and school type (rural/urban, public/private), emphasizing that SE impacts PA and ST differently depending on the sociodemographic context of the adolescents.