A systematic review on the associations between the built environment and adult's physical activity in global tropical and subtropical climate regions.

BACKGROUND: Physical inactivity is a major public health concern, exacerbated in countries with a (sub)tropical climate. The built environment can facilitate physical activity; however, current evidence is mainly from North American and European countries with activity-friendly climate conditions. This study explored associations between built environment features and physical activity in global tropical or subtropical dry or desert climate regions. METHODS: A systematic review of four major databases (Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, and SportDISCUS) was performed. To be included, studies had to investigate associations between perceived or objective built environment characteristics and adult's physical activity and had to be conducted in a location with (sub)tropical climate. Each investigated association was reported as one case and results were synthesized based upon perceived and objectively assessed environment characteristics as well as Western and non-Western countries. Study quality was evaluated using a tool designed for assessing studies on built environment and physical activity. RESULTS: Eighty-four articles from 50 studies in 13 countries with a total of 2546 built environment-physical activity associations were included. Design (connectivity, walking/cycling infrastructure), desirability (aesthetics, safety), and destination accessibility were the built environment characteristics most frequently associated with physical activity across the domains active transport, recreational physical activity, total walking and cycling, and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, particularly if multiple attributes were present at the same time. Very few studies assessed built environment attributes specifically relevant to physical activity in (sub)tropical climates. Most studies were conducted in Western countries, with results being largely comparable with non-Western countries. Findings were largely generalizable across gender and age groups. Results from natural experiments indicated that relocating to an activity-friendly neighborhood impacted sub-groups differently. CONCLUSIONS: Built environment attributes, including destination accessibility, connectivity, walking and cycling infrastructure, safety, and aesthetics, are positively associated with physical activity in locations with (sub)tropical climate. However, few studies focus on built environment attributes specifically relevant in a hot climate, such as shade or indoor recreation options. Further, there is limited evidence from non-Western countries, where most of the urban population lives in (sub)tropical climates. Policy makers should focus on implementing activity-friendly environment attributes to create sustainable and climate-resilient cities.

Lifestyle behaviors trend and their relationship with fear level of COVID-19: Cross-sectional study in Saudi Arabia.

INTRODUCTION: COVID-19 pandemic cautionary measures have affected the daily life of people around the globe. Further, understanding the complete lifestyle behaviors profile can help healthcare providers in designing effective interventions and assessing overall health impact on risk of disease development. Thus, this study aims to assess the complete spectrum of lifestyle behaviors (physical activity, sedentary behavior, sleep, distress, social support, dietary habits, and smoking) prevalence and its association with fear of COVID-19 in people living in Saudi Arabia. METHODS: Self-administered survey consisted of seven sections was used to collect data on fear of COVID-19 using Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S), physical activity and sedentary behavior using the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ), sleep quality using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), psychosocial distress using Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K-10), social support using the MOS social support survey, and dietary habits using a short version of food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). The online survey was distributed via social media platforms during lockdown period of COVID-19 pandemic (May-June 2020). Each section consisted of validated questionnaire examining one of aforementioned lifestyle behaviors. Associations were analyzed using multiple linear regression. RESULTS: A total of 669 individuals attempted to complete the online survey, 554 participants completed at least 2 sections of the survey (82.8%), and 41.3% (n = 276) completed the whole online survey. The majority of the sample were female (83%), not smokers (86.5%), had sufficient sleep duration (7.5 hrs ± 2.1), and only indicated mild level of distress (21.4 ± 8.9); they also reported high level of sedentary behavior (7.7 hrs ± 4.5), poor sleep quality (5.4 ± 2.4), were not engaged in healthy eating habits, and moderate level of perceived social support (62.0% ± 27). Only physical activity results indicated that about half of the sample were engaged in moderate to vigorous level of physical activity (54.3%). Further, being female (ß = 0.12; 95% CI: 0.45, 2.94) and married (ß = 0.13; 95% CI: 0.3, 2.63) were associated with fear of COVID-19 level (ß = 0.21; 95% IC: 0.05, 0.19) with a confidence interval level of 95%. In addition, distress was associated with fear. CONCLUSION: The trend of lifestyle behaviors measured during lockdown period changed from previously published rates. Future research needs to establish the short-term and long-term effect of lifestyle behaviors complete profile on physical and mental health.

Anthropometric Measurements, Sociodemographics, and Lifestyle Behaviors among Saudi Adolescents Living in Riyadh Relative to Sex and Activity Energy Expenditure: Findings from the Arab Teens Lifestyle Study 2 (ATLS-2).

The aim of the study was to examine the anthropometric measurements, sociodemographics, and lifestyle behaviors among Saudi adolescents relative to sex and physical activity (PA). A random cross-sectional survey conducted on Saudi adolescents from secondary schools in Riyadh, using a multistage stratified cluster sampling technique. Measurements included demographics, weight, height, waist circumference, PA, sedentary behaviors (SB), sleep duration, and dietary habits using a validated questionnaire. A total of 1262 adolescents (16.4 ± 0.95 years; 52.4% males) were studied. Overweight/obesity was more than 40%. Physical inactivity among adolescents was 53%, which indicates some improvement over the past years, especially among females. More than 80% of adolescents had over three hours/day of screen time, with no significant sex differences. Insufficient sleep was highly prevalent with gender differences. A large proportion of the participants did not consume daily breakfast (65.7%), vegetables (73.2%), fruits (84.2%), or milk/dairy products (62.4%), whereas significant proportions of the adolescents consumed sugar-sweetened drinks, fast food, French fries/potato chips, cake/donuts, and chocolates/candy on at least three days or more per week. It was concluded that non-daily intake of breakfast and vegetables was significantly associated with lower PA. The updated information can aid in effectively planning and implementing promotional programs toward improving the lifestyle behaviors of Saudi adolescent.