Geographic information analysis on environmental determinants of obesity among working age adults

• Grant number: 09/06955-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research
• Start date: July 13, 2009
• End date: July 25, 2009
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Nutrition - Nutritional Analysis of Population
• Principal Investigator: Patricia Constante Jaime
• Grantee: Patricia Constante Jaime
• Host Investigator: Karen Lock
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Saúde Pública (FSP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, England

Abstract

It is now widely accepted that a broad range of factors in the social and physical environment determine individual disease risk factors (such as, diet and physical activity). Research to elucidate what are the most important environmental factors for obesity in urban areas has all been conducted in developed countries, particularly the US and Europe. The current evidence base about the association of environmental factors with obesity-related behaviors and trends is still insufficient to inform public policies in developing countries. This research proposal is a formative research in this field and will pilot the approaches in Sao Paulo city. To identify what key urban-environmental factors, that is the characteristics of places where people live and work in the city, influence diet and physical activity behaviors and obesity rates among working age adults at Sao Paulo city; and to understand how these urban-environmental factors explain variation of overweight and obesity rates and diet and physical activity behaviors among these population. This research will be based on a hypothetical model linking urban-environmental determinants to obesity rates and diet behaviors among working age adults residents in Sao Paulo city. A geographic information database will be generated, using geographical information system software. The data analysis will involve geographical analysis of secondary environmental and epidemiological data. Once the final geographic information database has been generated, separated models to assess environmental factors related to overweight and obesity will be tested using multi-level analysis. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

JAIME, PATRICIA CONSTANTE; DURAN, ANA CLARA; SARTI, FLAVIA MORI; LOCK, KAREN. Investigating Environmental Determinants of Diet, Physical Activity, and Overweight among Adults in Sao Paulo, Brazil. JOURNAL OF URBAN HEALTH-BULLETIN OF THE NEW YORK ACADEMY OF MEDICINE, v. 88, n. 3, p. 567-581, JUN 2011. (09/06955-7)