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* Built environment and obesity in adults from Sao Paulo

2016 - ongoing

The aim of this project is to investigate the association between built environment indicators and the prevalence of overweight and obesity in adults living in the city of São Paulo. The project will be developed in collaboration with Professor Lígia Vizeu Barroso, from the University of Sao Paulo Department of Geography, and the Department of Geoprocessing and Socioenvironmental Information of the City of São Paulo. The results will serve to better understand the link between built environment indicators and prevalence of overweight and obesity in megalopolis as São Paulo, and to promote healthy environments that act to prevent this important public health issue.

* Assessment of the feasibility of implementing Parque Minhocão in São Paulo

2015 – ongoing

We are collaborating with an investigation on the implementation of the Minhocão Park as a recreational area in downtown São Paulo. The GEPAF will contribute assessing the impact on physical activity practice through a natural experiment, following possible changes in levels of leisure-time and transport-related physical activity in people living near the park. Dr. Karen Lee, Head of Built Environment of New York City, is a partner in this project.

* Development of a counseling system for physical activity promotion in the Brazilian Unified Health System

2015 – 2016

We aim to develop a counseling model for physical activity promotion considering the multidisciplinary context within the Brazilian Unified Health System, using physical education professionals as educational agents. Phase one involves a partnership with the M'Boi Mirim Hospital in a PPSUS/FAPESP funded project coordinated by Dr. Mario Bracco , offering classes of physical activity promotion in an online course to health professionals working in Sao Paulo. Prof. Jorge Mota (University of Porto, Portugal) and Prof. Diane Crone (University of Gloucestershire, England) are partners in this project too.

* Built environment and physical activity promotion in São Paulo

2014 – 2017

The aim of this project is to investigate the relationship between environmental indicators and physical activity of adults in São Paulo. Data from the health survey ISA-São Paulo and geographical data about facilities as public clubs, parks, primary health care units, bike paths will be used, as well as information on mixed land use, sidewalks and indicators of violence and environmental pollution. Prof. Billie Giles-Corti (University of Melbourne, Australia) and Ligia Vizeu Barroso (University of Sao Paulo, Brazil) are partners in this project.

* Translation of evidence for decision making in the Brazilian Unified Health System: review of physical activity promotion interventions

2015 – 2017

The main aim of this project is to propose new possibilities for physical activity promotion within the Brazilian Unified Health System context. We will conduct systematic reviews that go beyond descriptive synthesis and meta-analysis, with a particular focus on the extraction and analysis of the: a) programs framework and organization; b) definition and development of actions; and c) methods of evaluation employed. This research is being funded by the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development.

* Systematic review of associated factors with sedentary behavior in children and adolescents

2014 – 2016

Recent studies show that sedentary behavior is one of the factors related to diseases that cause reduction in quality of life and premature mortality. The absence of a prior and comprehensive review aiming to present and discuss the factors associated with sedentary behavior in children and adolescents reveals a gap to be explored, and emerges as a new reference for interventions. The scope of this project is to evaluate and discuss the main variables associated with sedentary behavior through a systematic review involving children and adolescents ranging from 3 to 19 years old. PROSPERO protocol: CRD42014014107.

* Systematic review of physical activity promotion by Community Health Workers

2014 – 2015

The objective of this project is to systematically review the main strategies to promote physical activity undertaken by Community Health Workers in different parts of the world. In addition, this proposal aims to evaluate interventions in their explanatory and/or pragmatic characteristics and, based on the potential of the external validity of the studies involved, to offer new possibilities for action in the context of the Brazilian Unified Health System.

* Evaluation of the network of physical activity promotion of Ermelino Matarazzo, São Paulo

2013 – 2014

The objective of this research was to identify the network of physical activity promotion in Ermelino Matarazzo, a district in the Eastern zone of São Paulo. Analysis described the network structure and some of its components, such as collaboration, importance, leadership, contact, and characteristics of institutions involved in the network. In the current step, we are working to create a formal network of physical activity promotion in Ermelino Matarazzo, in order to exchange of experiences of different actors and aiming to individual, collective, and institutional empowerment for physical activity promotion.

* Qualification and actions of physical education professionals working in facilities of the Brazilian Unified Health System in São Paulo

2013 – 2014

The aim of this study was to describe the qualifications and actions of physical education professionals (PEP) working in facilities of the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS) in São Paulo. Ninety-one PEP (response rate: 82%) participated in this cross-sectional study. Through telephone-based interviews, we have investigated: a) professional qualification; b) sociodemographic characteristics; and c) actions carried out by PEP to promote physical activity in the SUS.

* Analysis of population patterns of leisure-time physical activity through agent-based modeling

2012 – 2016

The main goal of this project is to explore how the interaction between psychological traits and built and social environments leads to collective patterns of leisure-time physical activity practice in adults. One of the key assumptions of this project is that these patterns arise from a complex social system; therefore, we have chosen the agent-based modeling as the main research and analysis method. As product of this project, we expect to broaden the comprehension and explanation of the dynamic processes that might be involved in the emergence of collective patterns of leisure-time physical activity.

* Evaluation of interventions to promote physical activity in the Brazilian Unified Health System through the Family Health Strategy

2010 – 2013

GEPAF has finished in 2012 a study to evaluate interventions to promote physical activity among adults attending the Family Health Strategy in the district of Ermelino Matarazzo. The research was held in partnership with the Technical Supervision of Health and Family Health Strategy Support teams of Ermelino Matarazzo/Ponte Rasa. The group had the participation of professors from USP School of Arts, Science and Humanities and School of Public Health, as well as undergraduate and graduate students and had much grounding in the epidemiological study conducted in 2007 (more information are in the project described below). The intervention began in 2011 and lasted one year. Detailed information are available in the study's website: www.each.usp.br/ambienteativo. This study also served as training field for students from USP Physical Activity Sciences course (currently Physical Activity and Health course), brought together students from São Paulo public schools to a pre-scientific initiation, and have been used for dissertations and theses. This study had grant from the Paulo Research Foundation (protocol 09/14119-4).

* Validation of a 24-hour recall for assessing physical activity

2010 – 2013

Our group has developed a 24-hour recall for assessing physical activity, aimed to evaluate in detail light, moderate and vigorous activities, as well as sedentary behavior in adults and elderly through an interview. The activities are coded in a specific software and classified according to the Barbara Ainsworth et al.’s compendium of physical activities. The software generates as outcomes minutes of daily practice of light, moderate and vigorous activity and sedentary behavior. Two validation studies have been conducted with adults and elderly, using accelerometry as reference method. Both have shown good validity (more information in the "Papers" section). Next steps are improving the software so that it can be incorporated into new technologies, like cellphones, and conduct further validation studies using doubly labeled water and with adolescents.

* Physical activity and environmental variables in adults and elderly of Ermelino Matarazzo, São Paulo

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).
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Group of Studies and Researches in Physical Activity Epidemiology (GEPAF)
Email: gepaf.usp@gmail.com / Telephone: +55 11 3091 8157
School of Arts, Sciences and Humanities (EACH / USP-Leste)
Rua Arlindo Béttio, 1000 - Ermelino Matarazzo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil - CEP: 03828-000