economies, Latin America has had a glorified history of athletic success in international competitions and a fast-growing sport industry. Among Latin American countries, governments, communities, and sport organizations continue to provide substantial investments, supports, and commitments for the
Search Results
Sport in Latin America
James J. Zhang
Physical Activity Patterns Among Adolescents in Latin America and the Caribbean Region
Antonio Bernabe-Ortiz and Rodrigo M. Carrillo-Larco
appropriate prevention and intervention strategies in a specific region. This is relevant as usually physical activity declines during the transition from childhood to adolescence, 11 and for instance, this period seems to be an ideal time for the adoption of physical activity behaviors. 12 Latin America and
Latin American Physical Educators’ Intention to Teach Individuals With Disabilities
Luis Columna, Luz Amelia Hoyos-Cuartas, John T. Foley, Jose Rafael Prado-Perez, Dana Milena Chavarro-Bermeo, Ana Lorena Mora, Maria Antonieta Ozols-Rosales, Luis Álvarez-del Cid, and Ivana Rivero
Purpose:
To analyze Latin American physical education (PE) teachers’ intentions toward teaching students with disabilities.
Participants:
474 in-service PE teachers from 5 different Latin American countries.
Method:
Descriptive survey. Data were collected using a modified version of the Physical Educators’ Intention Toward Teaching Individuals With Disabilities Survey. Multiple-regression analysis showed significant differences in the attitudes of teachers by gender, the number of adapted-PE courses taken, and years of experience working with individuals with disabilities.
Results:
The predictor variables had a significant impact on the participants’ intentions toward teaching children with disabilities; however, the effects of these predictor variables differed between countries.
Volume 7 (2010): Issue s2 (Jan 2010): Physical Activity Research in Latin America
jpah Journal of Physical Activity and Health 1543-3080 1543-5474 2 1 2010 7 s2 10.1123/jpah.2010.7.issue-s2 Physical Activity Research in Latin America With generous support provided by Project GUIA and the Prevention Research Center in St. Louis, which is funded by the Centers for Disease Control
Global Physical Activity, Active Commuting to School, and Sedentary Behavior Among Latin American Adolescents: Global School-Based Student Health Survey and the National School Health Survey
Juliana Ilídio da Silva, Amanda Cristina de Souza Andrade, and Ana Paula Muraro
increasing the likelihood of meeting physical activity recommendations. 6 However, evidence indicates that insufficient physical activity 7 and SB levels among adolescents are high 8 globally, including in Latin America. 8 , 9 These estimates may be influenced by the demographic characteristics of
Physical Activity Interventions in Latin America: What Value Might Be Added by Including Conference Abstracts in a Literature Review?
Christine Hoehner, Jesus Soares, Diana C. Parra, Isabela C. Ribeiro, Michael Pratt, Mario Bracco, Pedro C. Hallal, and Ross C. Brownson
Background:
This review assessed whether conference abstracts yield useful information on the types and effectiveness of community-based physical activity (PA) interventions in Latin America, beyond that from interventions included in a recent systematic review of peer-reviewed literature.
Methods:
Abstracts from 9 conferences were searched for community-based interventions to promote PA in Latin America and summarized. Three reviewers classified and screened abstracts. Evaluated interventions that were not included in the previous review were assessed.
Results:
Search of abstracts from 31 proceedings of 9 conferences identified 87 abstracts of studies on community-based interventions focused on increasing PA. Only 31 abstracts reported on studies with a control group and an outcome related to PA. Ten of these abstracts represented interventions that had not been included in the previous review of peer-reviewed literature, but the abstracts were insufficient in number or detail to make a practice recommendation for any single intervention.
Conclusions:
This review highlighted the challenges and low added value of including conference abstracts in a systematic review of community PA interventions in Latin America. Stronger evaluation design and execution and more published reports of evaluated interventions are needed to build an evidence base supporting interventions to increase PA in Latin America.
Moving Together to Advance Physical Activity Research in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: The Case of Latin America
Deborah Salvo, Andrea Ramírez Varela, and Alejandra Jáuregui
participation of local lead investigators. 10 Over the past decade and a half, physical activity and health research from Latin America—a region composed almost in its entirety by LMICs—has experienced pronounced growth. 9 , 10 Notably, less than a handful of countries are driving this trend, with work from
Physical Activity Policies at National and Subnational Levels: A Study in Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Mexico
Juliana Mejía Grueso, Michael Pratt, Eugen Resendiz, Deborah Salvo, Gloria Isabel Niño Cruz, Nubia Yaneth Ruiz Gómez, Rafael Alexander Leandro Gómez, Inés Revuelta Sánchez, Gerardo Alonso Araya Vargas, Angélica María Ochoa Avilés, Raúl Francisco Pérez Tasigchana, Alejandra Jáuregui, Pedro C. Hallal, and Andrea Ramírez Varela
develop more comprehensive PA policy indicators to contribute to the understanding of the PA policy process and cycle. 18 – 20 A questionnaire to examine the PA policy process (described elsewhere 22 ) was tested in Latin American countries to determine its applicability. Latin America was selected as an
How Self-Objectification Impacts Physical Activity Among Adolescent Girls in Costa Rica
Rafael Monge-Rojas, Tamara Fuster-Baraona, Carlos Garita-Arce, Marta Sánchez-López, Uriyoán Colon-Ramos, and Vanessa Smith-Castro
Background:
In Latin America, more than 80% of adolescent girls are physically inactive. Inactivity may be reinforced by female stereotypes and objectification in the Latin American sociocultural context.
Methods:
We examined the influence of objectification on the adoption of an active lifestyle among 192 adolescents (14 and 17 years old) from urban and rural areas in Costa Rica. Analyses of 48 focus-groups sessions were grounded in Objectification Theory.
Results:
Vigorous exercises were gender-typed as masculine while girls had to maintain an aesthetic appearance at all times. Adolescents described how girls were anxious around the prospect of being shamed and sexually objectified during exercises. This contributed to a decrease in girls’ desire to engage in physical activities. Among males, there is also a budding tolerance of female participation in vigorous sports, as long as girls maintained a feminine stereotype outside their participation.
Conclusion:
Self-objectification influenced Costa Rican adolescent girls’ decisions to participate in physical activities. Interventions may include: procuring safe environments for physical activity where girls are protected from fear of ridicule and objectification; sensitizing boys about girl objectification and fostering the adoption of a modern positive masculine and female identities to encourage girls’ participation in sports.
Using Logic Models as Iterative Tools for Planning and Evaluating Physical Activity Promotion Programs in Curitiba, Brazil
Isabela C. Ribeiro, Andrea Torres, Diana C. Parra, Rodrigo Reis, Christine Hoehner, Thomas L. Schmid, Michael Pratt, Luiz R. Ramos, Eduardo J. Simões, and Ross C. Brownson
Background:
The Guide for Useful Interventions for Activity in Brazil and Latin America (GUIA), a systematic review of community-based physical activity (PA) interventions in Latin American literature, selected the CuritibAtiva program for a comprehensive evaluation. We describe the process of developing logic models (LM) of PA community interventions from Curitiba, Brazil, and discuss influential factors.
Methods:
The year-long process included engaging stakeholders involved in the promotion of PA in Curitiba, working with stakeholders to describe the programs and their goals, and developing LMs for the 2 main secretaries promoting PA in the city.
Results & Conclusions:
As a result of stakeholder interviews and discussion and the development of the LMs, local officials are coordinating programming efforts and considering ways the programs can be more complementary. The process has prompted program managers to identify overlapping programs, refine program goals, and identify gaps in programming. It also helped to frame evaluation questions, identify data sources, describe realistic outcomes, and reinforce the importance of intersectoral alliances for public health impact. Developing LMs proved to be feasible in the Latin American context, therefore adaptable and useful for other PA promotion programs in the region.
