scholarly journals Association between Perceived Neighborhood Built Environment and Walking and Cycling for Transport among Inhabitants from Latin America: The ELANS Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (18) ◽  
pp. 6858
Author(s):  
Gerson Ferrari ◽  
André Oliveira Werneck ◽  
Danilo Rodrigues da Silva ◽  
Irina Kovalskys ◽  
Georgina Gómez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Latin America ◽  
Built Environment ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Neighborhood Environment ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Alternative Routes ◽  
Neighborhood Built Environment ◽  
Latin American Countries

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.

scholarly journals Predictors of COVID-19 Fatality: A Worldwide Analysis of the Pandemic over Time and in Latin America

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dayana Rojas ◽  
Jorge Saavedra ◽  
Mariya Petrova ◽  
Yue Pan ◽  
José Szapocznik
Keyword(s):  
Latin America ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Strong Association ◽  
Case Fatality ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Fatality Rate ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Latin American Countries ◽  
Risk Ratios

AbstractSARS-CoV-2 has infected over one hundred million people worldwide and has affected Latin America particularly severely in terms of both cases and deaths. This study aims to determine the association between SARS-CoV-2 testing and COVID-19 fatality rate worldwide over 8 months and to examine how this relationship differs between Latin America and all other countries. This cross-sectional study used March 2021 data from 169 countries. Multivariate regressions predicted COVID-19 fatality (outcome) from the number of SARS-CoV-2 tests (exposure), while controlling for other predictors. Results for March 2021 were compared to results from June 2020. Additionally, results for Latin America were also compared to all other countries except Latin American for March 2021. SARS-CoV-2 testing was associated with a significant decrease in COVID-19 fatality rate in both June 2020 and March 2021 (RR = 0.92; 95% CI 0.87–0.96 and RR = 0.86; 95% CI 0.74–1.00, respectively). SARS-CoV-2 testing was associated with a significant decrease in COVID-19 fatality rate in Latin American countries but not in all other countries (RR = 0.45; 95% CI 0.23–0.89 and RR = 0.95; 95% CI 0.82–1.11, respectively). However, the difference between the risk ratios for June 2020 and March 2021 and between the risk ratios for Latin America and all other countries were not statistically significant. Increased SARS-CoV-2 testing may be a significant predictor of lower COVID-19 case fatality rate, specifically in Latin American countries, due to the existence of a strong association, which may have driven the worldwide results.

Sociodemographic, health and pro-breastfeeding policies and programmes associated with breastfeeding duration in Latin American countries

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-28
Author(s):  
Danielle Mendonça Buiatti Lamounier ◽  
Catarina Machado Azeredo ◽  
José Leopoldo Ferreira Antunes ◽  
Wolney Lisboa Conde ◽  
Ana Elisa Madalena Rinaldi
Keyword(s):  
Dominican Republic ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Breastfeeding Duration ◽  
Demographic And Health Surveys ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Duration Of Breastfeeding ◽  
Latin American Countries

ABSTRACT Objective: To describe the duration of breastfeeding between 1990 and 2013 and to estimate the association between breastfeeding duration and sociodemographic, health and pro-breastfeeding policies and programmes in Latin American countries. Design: This is a cross-sectional study with data from Demographic and Health Surveys program conducted in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Peru and the Dominican Republic between 1990 and 2013. The median duration of BF was estimated by survival analysis. Information on pro-breastfeeding policies and programmes was extracted from the World on Breastfeeding Trends Initiative (WBTi) tool. The association between the duration of breastfeeding and WBTi tool score was analysed by multilevel survival regression. Setting: Nationally representative cross-sectional survey from Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Peru and Dominican Republic. Participants: We included children under 24 months of age, totalling 17,318 children. Results: Breastfeeding duration showed a significant increase in all countries, except the Dominican Republic. Mothers with higher schooling level (HR=1.66;95%CI:1.35;2.04), higher income (HR=1.58;95%CI:1.40;1.77) and overweight (HR=1.14;95%CI:1.05;1.23) breastfed for a shorter time. Breastfeeding in the first hour of life (HR=0.79;95%CI:0.74;0.83) was associated to increase in the duration of breastfeeding. Regarding WBTi, Peru presented the lowest score and the Dominican Republic presented the highest score. WBTi score was inversely related with the duration of breastfeeding for this set of countries (HR=1.07;95%CI:1.02;1.12). Conclusions: Mothers with better socioeconomic conditions and overweight breastfed for a shorter time. Breastfeeding in the first hour was associated to longer duration of breastfeeding. In this set of countries, higher scores from WBTi tool did not result in longer duration of breastfeeding.

scholarly journals Mix of destinations and sedentary behavior among Brazilian adults: a cross-sectional study

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex Antonio Florindo ◽  
Gavin Turrell ◽  
Leandro Martin Totaro Garcia ◽  
João Paulo dos Anjos Souza Barbosa ◽  
Michele Santos Cruz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Built Environment ◽  
Sedentary Behavior ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Sao Paulo ◽  
Sitting Time ◽  
São Paulo ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Economies In Transition

Abstract Background Sedentary behavior is influenced by contextual, social, and individual factors, including the built environment. However, associations between the built environment and sitting time have not been extensively investigated in countries with economies in transition such as Brazil. The objective of this study is to examine the relationship between sitting-time and access to a mix of destinations for adults from Sao Paulo city, Brazil. Methods This study uses data from the Health Survey of Sao Paulo. Sedentary behavior was assessed by a questionnaire using two questions: total sitting time in minutes on a usual weekday; and on a usual weekend day. The mix of destinations was measured by summing the number of facilities (comprising bus stops, train/subway stations, parks, squares, public recreation centres, bike paths, primary health care units, supermarkets, food stores, bakeries, and coffee-shops) within 500 m of each participant’s residence. Minutes of sitting time in a typical weekday and weekend day were the outcomes and the mix of destinations score in 500 m buffers was the exposure variable. Associations between the mix of destinations and sitting time were examined using multilevel linear regression: these models accounted for clustering within census tracts and households and adjusted for environmental, sociodemographic, and health-related factors. Results After adjustment for covariates, the mix of destinations was inversely associated with minutes of sitting time on a weekday (β=− 8.8, p=0.001) and weekend day (β=− 6.1, p=0.022). People who lived in areas with a greater mix of destinations had shorter average sitting times. Conclusion Greater mix of destinations within 500 m of peoples’ residences was inversely associated with sitting time on a typical weekday and weekend day. In Latin American cities like Sao Paulo built environments more favorable for walking may contribute to reducing sedentary behavior and prevent associated chronic disease.

Neighborhood environment, self-rated health and quality of life in Latin America

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 196-204 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luis F Gomez ◽  
Carolina Soto-Salazar ◽  
José Guerrero ◽  
María Garcia ◽  
Diana C Parra
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Latin America ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Neighborhood Environment ◽  
Bibliographic Databases ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Negatively Associated ◽  
Self Rated Health

Abstract To conduct a systematic review examining the associations between neighborhood environments and self-rated health (SRH) and health-related quality of life (HR-QOL) in the urban context of Latin America. We conducted a structured search of quantitative studies in three bibliographic databases published in Spanish, English, Portuguese and French from January 1990 to December 2015. We restricted the search to studies conducted in Latin-American cities with one million and more inhabitants. Eleven studies were finally included in the analysis. Ten were cross-sectional studies and one was a cohort follow-up study. Two studies found positive associations between accessibility to parks and HR-QOL. One study found that high neighborhood social capital was positively associated with SRH. Neighborhood socioeconomic status was positively associated with both HR-QOL and SRH in two studies. A walkable neighborhood was positively associated with SRH in two studies. Three studies included attributes related with neighborhood security perception and road safety, with higher scores of HR-QOL, both in the physical and mental dimensions, while high levels of street noise were negatively associated. Narrowness and slope of streets were negatively associated with SRH. No association was found between the perception of neighborhood security and SRH. The results of this systematic review show that several studies conducted in Latin America have found significant associations between neighborhood environment and SRH and HRQOL. However, the relatively small number of studies and the heterogeneity among them require further studies to better understand this topic in the region.

scholarly journals Is the perceived neighborhood built environment associated with domain-specific physical activity in Latin American adults? An eight-country observational study

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerson Ferrari ◽  
◽  
André Oliveira Werneck ◽  
Danilo Rodrigues da Silva ◽  
Irina Kovalskys ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Land Use ◽  
Built Environment ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Leisure Time ◽  
Shopping Centers ◽  
Domain Specific ◽  
Land Use Mix ◽  
Neighborhood Built Environment ◽  
Latin American Countries

Abstract Background Characteristics of the neighborhood built environment are associated with physical activity (PA). However, few studies with representative samples have examined environmental correlates of domain-specific PA in Latin America. We examined the associations of the perceived neighborhood built environment with domain-specific PA in a large sample of adults from eight Latin American countries. Methods This study examined data from 8185 adults (aged 18–65 years) from eight Latin American countries. The Neighbourhood Environment Walkability Survey - Abbreviated (NEWS-A) scale was used to assess perceptions of land use mix–diversity, land use mix-access, street connectivity, walking/cycling facilities, aesthetics, safety from traffic, and safety from crime. Perceived proximity from home to public open spaces (metropolitan parks, playgrounds, public squares) and to shopping centers was also measured. Transport-related and leisure-time PA were assessed using the long form of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Both logistic and linear regression models were estimated on pooled data. Results Perceptions of higher land use mix-access (OR: 1.40; 95% CI: 1.22,1.61), the existence of many alternative routes in the neighbourhood (1.12; 1.04,1.20), slow speed of traffic (1.19; 1.03,1.35) and few drivers exceeding the speed limits (1.09; 1.03,1.15) were associated with greater odds of reporting at least 10 min/week of transport-related PA. Perceptions of higher levels of land use mix-diversity, better aesthetics and greater safety from crime, the presence of crosswalks and pedestrian signals, and greater proximity of shopping centers were associated with more min/week of transport-related PA. Perceptions of higher land use mix-diversity (1.12; 1.05,1.20), higher land use mix-access (1.27; 1.13,1.43), more walking/cycling facilities (1.18; 1.09,1.28), and better aesthetics (1.10; 1.02,1.18) were associated with greater odds of engaging in at least 10 min/week of leisure-time PA versus none. Perceptions of higher land use mix-diversity were associated with more min/week of leisure PA. Conclusions Different perceived neighborhood built environment characteristics were associated with domain-specific PA among adults from Latin America countries. Interventions designed to modify perceptions of the neighbourhood built environment might influence initiation or maintenance of domain-specific PA. Trial registration ClinicalTrials. Gov NCT02226627. Retrospectively registered on August 27, 2014.

scholarly journals Cross-sectional study of perceived neighborhood collective efficacy and risk of adhd among a nationally-representative sample of children

2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 71 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris Derauf ◽  
Diana Pandey ◽  
Juliette T. Liesinger ◽  
Euijung Ryu ◽  
Jeanette Y. Ziegenfuss ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Built Environment ◽  
Collective Efficacy ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Socioeconomic Conditions ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Neighborhood Collective Efficacy ◽  
The Us ◽  
Nationally Representative

Objectives: The development and severity of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been linked to a number of psychosocial risk factors. Research has shown that the amount of social capital in a community influences the physical and mental health of community members. We assessed the independent role of perceived neighborhood context, including physical and socioeconomic characteristics, and collective efficacy, a form of social capital, on ADHD prevalence. Methods: Cross-sectional study utilizing the 2007 National Survey of Children’s Health, a nationally representative dataset. The population of interest was children between the ages of four and seventeen living in randomly selected households. Multiple logistic regression models were used to assess the association between indices of perceived neighborhood socioeconomic conditions, built environment, and collective efficacy (study exposures) on risk of ADHD (outcome), controlling for pertinent individual and family risk factors.Results: 9.8 percent of children in the US (ages 4‐17) had ADHD as reported by their caregiver. In multivariate analysis, white race, male gender, increased geographic mobility, exposure to household smoke, exposure to > 2 hours/day TV, and maternal mental illness increased the odds of ADHD, while a two‐parent household reduced the odds. The highest level of perceived neighborhood collective efficacy was associated with reduced risk of ADHD compared to lower levels of perceived collective efficacy (adjusted OR: 0.785; 95% CI: 0.650-0.946; p=.011). Perceived neighborhood socioeconomic conditions and built environment were not associated with ADHD risk.Results: Nine percent of children in the US (ages 4-17 ) had ADHD as reported by their caregiver. Univariately, all 3 neighborhood characteristics were associated with risk of ADHD (p-value =.01, .04, and .0002 for socioeconomic conditions, built environment, and collective efficacy, respectively). After accounting for well-established risk factors for ADHD, perceived neighborhood socioeconomic conditions and built environment were no longer associated with ADHD, while collective efficacy remained significant (p=.0002).  Lower level of perceived neighborhood collective efficacy was associated with increased risk of ADHD (OR: 1.7; 95\% CI: 1.3-2.2, comparing the lowest with the highest level).Conclusions: Our study suggests that perceived neighborhood collective efficacy may buffer the impact of individual-and family-level risk factors for ADHD in children.

scholarly journals Association between Perceived Built Environment and Prevalent Hypertension among South African Adults

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pasmore Malambo ◽  
Andre P. Kengne ◽  
Estelle V. Lambert ◽  
Anniza De Villers ◽  
Thandi Puoane
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Built Environment ◽  
South African ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Neighborhood Environment ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Land Use Mix ◽  
Urban Rural ◽  
Logistic Regressions

Introduction. The association between perceived built environmental attributes and hypertension among adults has received little attention in an African context. We investigated the association between the perceived built environment and prevalent hypertension in adult South Africans. Method. A cross-sectional study was conducted using 2008-2009 Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology data among South African (n=671) adults aged ≥35 years. Perceived built environment was assessed using the neighborhood environment walkability scale questionnaire. Prevalent hypertension was defined as previously diagnosed by a physician, screen-detected hypertension as ≥140/90 mmHg, and a combination of both as any hypertension. Logistic regressions were applied for analyses. Results. In crude logistic regressions, self-reported hypertension was associated with land use mix-diversity, street connectivity, infrastructure for walking/cycling, aesthetics, traffic, and crime. In adjusted model, land use mix-diversity was significantly associated with self-reported hypertension. In similar multivariable models, the direction and magnitude of the effects were mostly similar to the outcomes of “screen-detected hypertension” which was further predicted by perceived lack of safety from traffic. Conclusion. Perceived built environment attributes were significantly associated with hypertension. This has relevance to population-based approaches to hypertension prevention and control.

scholarly journals Profile of simultaneous poly-substance users of undergraduate students at one university, Kingston - Jamaica

2012 ◽  
Vol 21 (spe) ◽  
pp. 63-67
Author(s):  
Joy Harrison ◽  
Laura Simich ◽  
Carol Strike ◽  
Bruna Brands ◽  
Norman Giesbrecht ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Health Science ◽  
Caribbean Island ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
University Level ◽  
Second Year ◽  
The University ◽  
Latin American Countries

This study is part of a multicentric research project involving seven universities in five Latin American countries and one Caribbean island (Jamaica). This cross-sectional study examines the profile of a sample of first and second year undergraduate students in the Medical/Health Science Department of one university in Kingston, Jamaica. The sample size was 295 students. Our results revealed that this pattern of drug use is occurring in this specific university. Alcohol was the most frequently reported substance 27.5%, followed by cannabis 6.1% and tobacco 4.7%. Report of polydrug consumption was low for all categories studied. Our findings may inform interventions at the university level.

scholarly journals Twitter-Derived Social Neighborhood Characteristics and Individual-Level Cardiometabolic Outcomes: Cross-Sectional Study in a Nationally Representative Sample (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dina Huang ◽  
Yuru Huang ◽  
Sahil Khanna ◽  
Pallavi Dwivedi ◽  
Natalie Slopen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Representative Sample ◽  
Public Health Research ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Neighborhood Environment ◽  
Neighborhood Characteristics ◽  
Lower Prevalence ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Nationally Representative

BACKGROUND Social media platforms such as Twitter can serve as a potential data source for public health research to characterize the social neighborhood environment. Few studies have linked Twitter-derived characteristics to individual-level health outcomes. OBJECTIVE This study aims to assess the association between Twitter-derived social neighborhood characteristics, including happiness, food, and physical activity mentions, with individual cardiometabolic outcomes using a nationally representative sample. METHODS We collected a random 1% of the geotagged tweets from April 2015 to March 2016 using Twitter’s Streaming Application Interface (API). Twitter-derived zip code characteristics on happiness, food, and physical activity were merged to individual outcomes from restricted-use National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) with residential zip codes. Separate regression analyses were performed for each of the neighborhood characteristics using NHANES 2011-2016 and 2007-2016. RESULTS Individuals living in the zip codes with the two highest tertiles of happy tweets reported BMI of 0.65 (95% CI –1.10 to –0.20) and 0.85 kg/m<sup>2</sup> (95% CI –1.48 to –0.21) lower than those living in zip codes with the lowest frequency of happy tweets. Happy tweets were also associated with a 6%-8% lower prevalence of hypertension. A higher prevalence of healthy food tweets was linked with an 11% (95% CI 2% to 21%) lower prevalence of obesity. Those living in areas with the highest and medium tertiles of physical activity tweets were associated with a lower prevalence of hypertension by 10% (95% CI 4% to 15%) and 8% (95% CI 2% to 14%), respectively. CONCLUSIONS Twitter-derived social neighborhood characteristics were associated with individual-level obesity and hypertension in a nationally representative sample of US adults. Twitter data could be used for capturing neighborhood sociocultural influences on chronic conditions and may be used as a platform for chronic outcomes prevention.

scholarly journals Repercussions of COVID-19 on the Ecuadorian tax system and its ranking compared to other countries

2021 ◽  
pp. 12-20
Author(s):  
Pamela Elizabeth Roque-Valarezo ◽  
María de los Ángeles Yumbo-Gúzman ◽  
Milca Orellana
Keyword(s):  
Latin America ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Income Tax ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Reliable Information ◽  
Direct Impact ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Tax System ◽  
Local Companies ◽  
Latin American Countries

Tax systems are essential for the collection of taxes, since the economic spending of the countries depends on them; Among the items we have the Income Tax (IR) and the Value Added Tax (VAT), which are the highest income obligations that Ecuador has. This article aims to analyze the repercussions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in the collection systems of Ecuador compared to the countries of Latin America. For this purpose, a descriptive-documentary cross-sectional methodology was carried out in order to obtain true, reliable information from indexed databases that were verified and approved by different researchers. The results show that COVID-19 had a direct impact on the economies of Latin American countries, especially in the first half of 2020, however, the policies adopted by governments, precisely in Ecuador, helped reduce the burden of the crisis, by deferring the payment of taxes, which generated momentary relief for local companies.

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