Implicancias en la actividad física y la salud del Programa CicloRecreoVía en Chile / Physical activity and health implications of the CicloRecreoVia program in Chile

Background: With approximately 66% of the population overweight and nearly 90% with sedentary lifestyles, obesity has become a major public health problem in Chile. Thus, in the last fifteen years health policies have promoted active lifestyles. An interesting initiative in this context is the CicloRecreoVia program, which closes a set of public streets on Sunday mornings, allowing people to carry out PA in streets free of vehicles. Aim: To characterize PA and mobility patterns of participants of the CicloRecreoVía program in Santiago. Material and Methods: 401 participants of five circuits of the CicloRecreoVia surveyed on the type, frequency and durantion of the PA carried out, their daily mobility habits, motivations for attending the CicloRecreoVia, self-perceived health condition, among other aspects. Results: Participants spent 113 minutes in the CicloRecreoVia, 77% declared walking or bicycling at least 10 minutes per day and 56.7% traveled actively (bicycling or walking) at least four times per week. Finally, 69.1% perceived their health condition "better" or "much better" than one year ago. In addition, it was noted that CicloRecreoVías attracted different type of participants depending on their location in the city. Conclusions: In line with previous studies, most users achieve about 75% of the weekly PA recommended by attending the CicloRecreoVía, and the main motivations to attend the program were to make PA, to be outdoor and to socialize. As a result, the CicloRecreoVía has the potential to become an effective public nationwide health policy to combat obesity.

Outdoor gyms in Santiago: urban distribution and effects on physical activity

Abstract: Aims To put together a registry of the location of all existing outdoor gyms (OGs) in Santiago, Chile, and establish a profile of the users of these gyms. Methods: All OGs in Santiago located in public spaces were identified and geo-referenced, and an accessibility analysis of them was carried out. A total of 1,023 users of OGs were surveyed (71% men, average age 31.5 years old, SD =16.6), about the frequency of use of OGs, amount of time spent using them, transportation habits, motivation for usage, and their perceptions regarding their own health, among other questions. In addition, each person's neck circumference was measured. Results There are 1,981 OGs in the city squares, sidewalks and parks, mostly located in poorest areas of the city. Most OG users live less than one kilometer away from an OG. Discussion: In line with international studies, this research demonstrates that OGs have positive collateral effects, as they not only contribute to users to increase their physical activity, but also because they attract people with sedentary lifestyles to make physical activity. This, in turn, might contribute to make urban areas more livable and safer, for they bring new "eyes to the street" and permit to use cities' under-occupied public spaces. Conclusion: The proliferation of outdoor gyms should be regarded as an opportunity for public health policies aimed at tackling the obesity problem and increasing the physical activity of people.(AU)