Use of global positioning system for physical activity research in youth: ESPAÇOS Adolescentes, Brazil

Abstract

The built environment is an important factor associated with physical activity and sedentary behavior during adolescence. This study presents the methods for objective assessment of context-specific moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and sedentary behavior (SB), as well as describes results from the first project using such methodology in adolescents from a developing country. An initial sample of 381 adolescents was recruited from 32 census tracts in Curitiba, Brazil (2013); 80 had their homes geocoded and wore accelerometer and GPS devices for seven days. Four domains were defined as important contexts: home, school, transport and leisure. The majority of participants (n=80) were boys (46; 57.5%), with a normal BMI (52; 65.0%) and a mean age (SD) of 14.5 (5.5) years. Adolescents spent most of their time at home, engaging in sedentary behavior. Overall, the largest proportion of MVPA was while in transport (17.1% of time spent in this context) and SB while in leisure (188.6 minutes per day). Participants engaged in MVPA for a median of 28.7 (IQR 18.2–43.2) and 17.9 (IQR 9.2–32.1) minutes during week and weekend days, respectively. Participants spent most of their day in the leisure and home domains. The use of Geographic Information System (GIS), GPS and accelerometer data allowed objective identification of the amount of time spent in PA and SB in four different domains. Though the combination of objective measures is still an emerging methodology, this is a promising and feasible approach to understanding interactions between people and their environments in developing countries.

O Sistema de Informação Geográfica em pesquisas sobre ambiente, atividade física e saúde

“…Após obter dados de ciclovias, bancos, igrejas, escolas, ponto de ônibus, locais particulares e públicos para a prática de atividade física com uma empresa privada estes foram georreferenciados e utilizados como indicador em estudo com adultos. Mais recentemente Alberico et al 29 combinaram os métodos de SIG, receptor GPS e acelerômetro para descrever a quantidade de tempo que uma amostra de 80 adolescentes de Curitiba, Paraná permaneceu realizando atividade física e/ou em comportamento sedentário, estratificando pelos domínios casa, escola, transporte e lazer. O SIG apresenta propriedades importantes que poucos métodos podem fornecer.…”

“…Este tipo de equipamento pode ser utilizado também para identificar rotas percorridas, locais frequentados e até mesmo o tipo de deslocamento realizado (a pé, de bicicleta ou motorizado) 27,28 . Alberico et al 29 em um estudo realizado em Curitiba, Paraná utilizaram um receptor GPS, modelo BT-Q1000XT com registro de localização a cada 15 segundos, para identificar rotas utilizadas por adolescentes no trajeto até a escola. Apesar deste modelo de equipamento possibilitar a ampliação dos pontos espaciais identificados, a grande quantidade de informações capturadas para cada participante apresenta dificuldade no processamento dos dados, tornando-o lento e pesado.…”

Characterization of Physical Activities Performed by Adolescents From Curitiba, Brazil

“…Complementary information can be found in the literature. 16 The project has been approved by the Research Ethics Committee of PUCPR (135-945/2012). All participants signed an Informed Consent Form.…”

“…In Curitiba, there were 2,395 census tracts considered primary sampling units and they were selected for their walkability characteristics and local income. 16 In order to maximize the variability of walkability and income, the tracts were classified into deciles for both variables. The tracts located at the four extremes (low/high) of walkability and income were selected.…”

Tempo sedentário e ambiente percebido sobre o bairro em adolescentes de 12 a 17 anos

“…Data were extracted from a larger project called ESPAÇOS Adolescentes. This project aims to investigate the association between the built environment, PA and obesity in adolescents 10 . In Brazil, it was carried out in the city of Curitiba-PR and was divided into four stages, selection of sites according to walkability and income index, selection of census tracts, selection of adolescents living in selected sites and finally visits; in the first visit, the accelerometer was delivered for the adolescent along with the instructions, in the second visit, the accelerometer was collected and an interview with the adolescent was conducted.…”