Bridging the gap between research and practice: an assessment of external validity of community-based physical activity programs in Bogotá, Colombia, and Recife, Brazil

Abstract

For more than a decade, physical activity classes have been offered in public places at no cost to the participants in some Latin American cities, however, internal and external validity evidence of these programs is limited. The goals of this study were to assess, report, and compare the external validity of the Recreovia program (RCP) in Colombia, and the Academia da Cidade program (ACP) in Brazil. Interviews to assess external validity of the RCP and ACP were conducted in 2012. The interview guide was developed based on the RE-AIM framework. Seventeen key informants were selected to participate in the study. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Transcripts were analyzed using a constant comparative qualitative method and experts validated common themes. RCP and ACP key informants reported that both programs reach underserved population. There is no information available about effectiveness. Both programs take place in public spaces (e.g., parks and plazas), which are selected for adoption mainly based on community demand. RCP and ACP offer free physical activity classes with educational and cultural components, have a strong organizational structure for implementation, and differ on schedule and content of classes. Funding sources were reported to play an important role on long-term maintenance. Facilitators and barriers were identified. Programs are similar in the reach and adoption elements; the main differences were found on implementation and maintenance, whereas information on effectiveness was not found. Reporting external validity of these programs is useful to bridge the gap between research and practice.

Innovations in the Use of Interactive Technology to Support Weight Management

“…Two recent articles have outlined hurdles facing the mHealth community 50, 79 . The fact that the field changes so quickly is one of the major challenges.…”

“…Ubiquitous mHealth technologies are also providing unprecedented opportunities to understand behavior in place, time and context through ongoing access to temporally dense, highly contextualized data 50 . Interactive technologies for real-time, contextualized obesity monitoring and interventions provide a level of ecological validity only attainable through observation and intervention ‘in the wild’ 51 .…”

High-resolution Temporal Representations of Alcohol and Tobacco Behaviors from Social Media Data

“…High-resolution communications about behaviors can thus help fundamentally advance behavioral theories by improving our understanding of the mechanisms behind behavior changes and choices that happen every day. The behavioral science community has identified that more real-time data sources are needed to better understand how and why people make decisions especially related to health [64, 80]. High-resolution behavior communications can could potentially be linked to appropriate representations of off-line behavior (e.g.…”

Logic model of the Recreovía: a community program to promote physical activity in Bogota

“…The participants included a current coordinator (2011-2016) and coordinators from three previous terms (1999-2004, 2005-2006, 2007-2010). The survey included questions on the structure of the program, users, instructors, physical activity sessions and budget and responses were recorded and transcribed 6 . Subsequently, five categories were created for coding: 1) resources, 2) activities, 3) outcomes, 4) short-term results and 5) long-term results 7 .…”

“…The Recreovía Program, created in Bogota (Colombia) in 1995, consists in sessions of physical activity, coordinated and musicalized, in plazas, parks, commercial centers and jails 2,5 . This program promotes activities for the community 3,6 and participation has been associated with higher physical activity levels, especially in women 5 . The aim of this study was to develop a logic model of the Recreovía Program in Bogota, Colombia.…”