Association between physical activity and quality of central area neighborhood in São Paulo

• Grant number: 11/23946-1
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: September 01, 2012
• End date: August 31, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Medicine
• Principal Investigator: Manoel Carlos Sampaio de Almeida Ribeiro
• Grantee: Manoel Carlos Sampaio de Almeida Ribeiro
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Médicas da Santa Casa de São Paulo (FCMSCSP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Inactivity can be placed in the top 10 causes of death world wide. This is because physical activity is important to reduce the risk of certain diseases such as cancer, diabetes mellitus and ischemic heart disease, and more than half the world's population is considered inactive. The reasons for such inactivity are many and among them the built environment maybe interfering with the walk, which is often recommended as a natural, practical and inexpensive way of do exercises. Aim. To study the association between physical activity level, with emphasis on walking, and the quality of the neighborhood, considering the social and physical environment in São Paulo downtown. Methods. We will use data from the study "Self Assessment of Health Status and Quality of Neighborhood Residents of the central area of São Paulo," the survey "Social Inequalities in Health Status and Access to Services for Groups with Different Degrees of Vulnerability and Social Exclusion living in downtown São Paulo" and we will collect data from Google Street View program and through direct observation of the neighborhood. The dependent variables are the prevalence of active people and the amount of walking time and as the independent variables are sex, age, income, education, relief, traffic and quality of the street pavement. Will be performed univariate and multivariate logistic regression, with calculation of confidence intervals for all of them. (AU)