Effects of a Community-Based, Professionally Supervised Intervention on Physical Activity Levels Among Residents of Recife, Brazil

Objectives. We evaluated the effects of a community-based intervention, the Academia da Cidade program (ACP), on increasing leisure-time physical activity among residents of Recife, Brazil.Methods. We used the International Physical Activity Questionnaire to assess leisure-time physical activity and transport physical activity (i.e., activities involved in traveling from place to place) levels in a random sample of 2047 Recife residents surveyed in 2007. We also examined factors related to exposure to ACP (participation in the intervention, residing near an intervention site, hearing about or seeing intervention activities). We estimated prevalence odds ratios (ORs) of moderate to high leisure-time and transport physical activity levels via intervention exposures adjusted for sociodemographic, health, and environmental variables.Results. Prevalence ORs for moderate to high levels of leisure-time physical activity were higher among former (prevalence OR=2.0; 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.0, 3.9) and current (prevalence OR=11.3; 95% CI=3.5, 35.9) intervention participants and those who had heard about or seen an intervention activity (prevalence 013=1.8; 95% CI=1.3, 2.5). Transport physical activity levels were inversely associated with residing near an ACP site.Conclusions. the ACP program appears to be an effective public health strategy to increase population-level physical activity in urban developing settings. (Am J Public Health. 2009;99:68-75. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2008.141978)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention through the Prevention Research Centers ProgramCtr Dis Control & Prevent, Prevent Res Ctr Program, Natl Ctr Chron Dis Prevent & Hlth Promot, Div Adult & Community Hlth, Atlanta, GA 30341 USAUniv Fed Pelotas, Postgrad Program Epidemiol, Pelotas, BrazilCDC, Div Nutr & Phys Activ, Atlanta, GA 30333 USACDC, World Hlth Org Collaborating Ctr Phys Activ & Hlt, Atlanta, GA 30333 USAUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Prevent Med, São Paulo, BrazilRecife Secretariat Hlth, Recife, PE, BrazilWashington Univ, Prevent Res Ctr, St Louis, MO USACDC, Behav Surveillance Branch, Atlanta, GA 30333 USAMinist Hlth Brazil, Secretariat Hlth Surveillance, Brasilia, DF, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Prevent Med, São Paulo, BrazilCenters for Disease Control and Prevention through the Prevention Research Centers Program: U48/DP000060-02Web of Scienc