2007 – 2013
- This study aimed to identify the prevalence of leisure-time and transport-related physical activity and its relationship with environmental variables in adults and elderly living in Ermelino Matarazzo district, São Paulo, in 2007. Early in that year, a task force was assembled with professors from USP School of Arts, Science and Humanities, and undergraduate and master’s degree students. A household-based survey and 890 interviews (385 elderly and 505 adults) have been conducted. Additionally to the prevalence of physical activity and perceived environmental conditions for physical activity practice, an objective assessment of the built environment was made, including conditions of roads, sidewalks, squares, clubs and parks. We also evaluated other health indicators, such as nutritional status, dietary habits, verbal fluency, sleep quality and oral health, among others. This research resulted in two Sc.M. theses, one pos-doc thesis and several papers published in Brazilian and international journals. Most important, all this knowledge have been used to plan the project to evaluate interventions to promote physical activity in Ermelino Matarazzo. The research was funded by the Brazilian National Council for Scientific (protocol 402042/2005-0) and the São Paulo Research Foundation (protocol 06/57810-0).