Los primeros mil días de vida, desde la concepción hasta el final de los primeros dos años de vida, constituye un período crucial para establecer el desarrollo de la enfermedad o de la salud en la vida futura de los individuos. La exposición a ambientes adversos determinará las alteraciones temporales en el ADN que perduran en el tiempo que dicha exposición exista. Las políticas y programas destinados a garantizar el bienestar durante esta ventana crítica del crecimiento son cruciales para que la población goce de las mejores condiciones posibles que permitan la expresión de su máximo potencial, al cual están programados para desarrollar. ; The first thousand days of life, from the conception until the end of the first two years of life, constitutes a key period in which the development of disease or health establishes in the future lives of individuals. Exposure to adverse environments will determine the temporary impairments in DNA that last as long as the exposure exists. Policies and programs aimed at guaranteeing well-being during this critical window of growth are crucial for the population to enjoy the best possible conditions that allow the expression of their maximum potential, to which they are programmed to develop.
Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine the association between active transportation and obesity indicators in adults from eight Latin American countries. Methods: Data from the ELANS study, an observational multi-country study (n: 8336; 18–65 years), were used. Active transportation (walking and cycling) and leisure time physical activity was assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (long version). The obesity indicators considered were: body mass index, and waist and neck circumference. Results: In the total sample, the average time dedicated to active transportation was 24.3 min/day, with the highest amount of active transportation being Costa Rica (33.5 min/day), and the lowest being Venezuela (15.7 min/day). The countries with the highest proportion of active transportation were Ecuador (71.9%), and the lowest was Venezuela (40.5%). Results from linear regression analyses suggest that active transportation was significantly and independently associated with a lower body mass index (β: −0.033; 95% CI: −0.064; −0.002), but not with waist circumference (β: −0.037; 95% CI: −1.126; 0.390 and neck circumference (β: −0.007; 95% CI: −0.269; 0.130). Conclusions: Active transportation is significantly associated with a lower body mass index. Governments should incentivize this type of transportation as it could help to reduce the obesity pandemic in Latin America.
In: Tremblay , M S , Barnes , J D , González , S A , Katzmarzyk , P T , Onywera , V O , Reilly , J J , Tomkinson , G R , Aguilar-Farias , N , Akinroye , K K , Al-Kuwari , M G , Amornsriwatanakul , A , Aubert , S , Belton , S , Gołdys , A , Herrera-Cuenca , M , Jeon , J Y , Jürimäe , J , Katapally , T R , Lambert , E V , Larsen , L R , Liu , Y , Löf , M , Loney , T , López y Taylor , J R , Maddison , R , Manyanga , T , Morrison , S A , Mota , J , Murphy , M H , Nardo , N , Ocansey , R T A , Prista , A , Roman-Viñas , B , Schranz , N K , Seghers , J , Sharif , R , Standage , M , Stratton , G , Takken , T , Tammelin , T H , Tanaka , C , Tang , Y & Wong , S H 2016 , ' Global matrix 2.0 : Report card grades on the physical activity of children and youth comparing 38 countries ' , Journal of Physical Activity & Health , vol. 13 , no. 11 Suppl 2 , pp. S343-S366 . https://doi.org/10.1123/jpah.2016-0594
The Active Healthy Kids Global Alliance organized the concurrent preparation of Report Cards on the physical activity of children and youth in 38 countries from 6 continents (representing 60% of the world's population). Nine common indicators were used (Overall Physical Activity, Organized Sport Participation, Active Play, Active Transportation, Sedentary Behavior, Family and Peers, School, Community and the Built Environment, and Government Strategies and Investments), and all Report Cards were generated through a harmonized development process and a standardized grading framework (from A = excellent, to F = failing). The 38 Report Cards were presented at the International Congress on Physical Activity and Public Health in Bangkok, Thailand on November 16, 2016. The consolidated findings are summarized in the form of a Global Matrix demonstrating substantial variation in grades both within and across countries. Countries that lead in certain indicators often lag in others. Average grades for both Overall Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior around the world are D (low/poor). In contrast, the average grade for indicators related to supports for physical activity was C. Lower-income countries generally had better grades on Overall Physical Activity, Active Transportation, and Sedentary Behaviors compared with higher-income countries, yet worse grades for supports from Family and Peers, Community and the Built Environment, and Government Strategies and Investments. Average grades for all indicators combined were highest (best) in Denmark, Slovenia, and the Netherlands. Many surveillance and research gaps were apparent, especially for the Active Play and Family and Peers indicators. International cooperation and cross-fertilization is encouraged to address existing challenges, understand underlying determinants, conceive innovative solutions, and mitigate the global childhood inactivity crisis. The paradox of higher physical activity and lower sedentary behavior in countries reporting poorer infrastructure, and lower physical activity and higher sedentary behavior in countries reporting better infrastructure, suggests that autonomy to play, travel, or chore requirements and/or fewer attractive sedentary pursuits, rather than infrastructure and structured activities, may facilitate higher levels of physical activity.
