How do the year's seasons and specific weather indices affect physical activity and the patterns of use of public open spaces in the Brazilian context?

BACKGROUND: Public open spaces (POS) can offer various resources to promote visitation and engagement in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). However, the influence of seasonal variations and specific meteorological conditions on this relationship remains unclear. Thus, this study aims to investigate the effect of seasonal variations and specific meteorological elements on different days of the week and times of day on POS use and POS-based MVPA in the Brazilian context. METHODS: In 2018, repeated measurements carried out in Southern Brazil used a systematic observation to identify the presence of users in the POS and their engagement in MVPA. The meteorological elements (temperature, thermal sensation, and relative humidity), as well as seasonality (summer, autumn, winter, and spring), were aggregated into the observations. RESULTS: A total of 19,712 systematic observations were conducted across nine POS. During these observations, a total of 59,354 users were identified. Out of theses, 39,153 (66.0%) were engaged in POS-based MVPA. The presence of users was found to be more frequent during the spring season (38.7%) and on weekends (ranging from 37.6 to 50.1% across seasons). Additionally, user presence was higher in the late afternoon (ranging from 36.4 to 58.2% across seasons) and at higher temperatures with lower relative humidity (p-value < 0.001). Regarding POS-based MVPA, it was more frequent during the winter season (36.4%) and on weekdays (ranging from 73.2 to 79.9% across seasons). Similarly, MVPA was higher in the late afternoon (ranging from 58.3 to 67.5% across seasons) and at lower temperatures and thermal sensations (p-value < 0.005). CONCLUSIONS: Higher presence of users in POS, as well as their visiting, to practice POS-based MVPA, depending on the seasons and specific meteorological elements. By creating infrastructure and conducive conditions, cities can encourage individuals to adopt more active and healthy behaviors. These findings emphasize the importance of designing urban spaces that promote physical activity and contribute to overall well-being.

Neighbourhood walkability and mental health in older adults: A cross-sectional analysis from EpiFloripa Aging Study.

This study aims to analyse the association between walkability index and depressive symptoms and cognitive impairment and test the mediating role of moderate-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) in this relationship among older adults from Florianópolis, Brazil. This is cross-sectional research with data from the third wave of the EpiFloripa Aging cohort study, conducted in 2017-2019. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the short version of the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), and cognitive impairment, using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scales. The neighbourhood environment was assessed using a walkability index, which considered 500-m network buffers around the participants' homes. Binary logistic regression analysis the association between the walkability index (quartile) and mental health outcomes (yes vs. no). Structural equation modelling evaluated the mediation between the walkability index and cognitive impairment by MVPA with an estimator of dichotomous variables. 1,162 people participated in the study (61.5% women, average age = 73.1). Older adults residing in places with a high and highest walkability index were 38% and 44% less likely to have cognitive impairment, respective. There was no association between depressive symptoms and walkability index in crude nor adjusted analysis. Engaging in MVPA had a partial but not significant effect (14%; p = 0.087), showing a tendency for this relationship to be partially explained by the greater engagement in physical activities in places with greater walkability. Policy planning to prevent and reduce the risks of cognitive impairment should consider factors of the physical environment as determinants in older adults.

Efeito de uma intervenção com jogos digitas e webgames na motivação intrínseca em escolares / Effect of an intervention with digital games and webgames on intrinsic motivation in schools

RESUMO O objetivo deste estudo foi analisar o efeito de uma intervenção com jogos digitais associados aos webgames na motivação intrínseca de crianças de uma escola pública de Florianópolis, Santa Catarina. Participaram deste estudo de desenho de um estudo de intervenção pedagógica não randomizado, 50 estudantes (52% de meninas), com idade média de 6,7 (±0,54) anos. Duas turmas da escola foram transformadas em dois grupos de pesquisa: 1) grupo intervenção (vivência prévia de jogos digitais no computador e webgames durante as aulas de educação física); e 2) grupo controle (apenas vivência de webgame). O Inventário de Motivação Intrínseca foi o instrumento utilizado, e para comparação intra e intergrupos utilizou-se o método de Equações de Estimativas Generalizadas, adotando-se o nível de significância de 5%. Não foi identificado efeito isolado do grupo ou interação grupo vs momento, o que indica que o grupo submetido a intervenção não se diferiu do grupo controle ao longo do tempo em termos de motivação. Conclui-se que o tipo de intervenção pedagógica realizada não foi capaz de aumentar a motivação intrínseca do grupo intervenção, sugerindo a necessidade de adaptações na estrutura e estratégias da intervenção em um próximo estudo.

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to analyze the effect of an intervention with digital games associated with webgames on the intrinsic motivation of children from a public school in Florianópolis, Santa Catarina (Brazil). 50 students (52% girls) participated in this design study of non-randomized pedagogical intervention study, with a mean age of 6.7 (± 0.54) years. Two classroom groups were transformed into two research groups: 1) intervention group (preview experience of digital games on the computer and webgames during physical education classes); and 2) control group (only experience of webgame). The Intrinsic Motivation Inventory was the instrument used, and for intra and intergroup comparison, the Generalized Estimation Equations method was used, adopting a significance level of 5%. No isolated effect of the group or interaction between group vs moment was identified, which indicates that the group submitted to the intervention did not differ from the control group over time in terms of motivation. It is concluded that the type of pedagogical intervention performed was not able to increase the intrinsic motivation OF GROUP I, suggesting the need for adaptations in the structure and strategies of the intervention for future research.