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

Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Outdoor Fitness Equipment Intervention in Achieving Fitness Goals for Seniors

Despite the popularity of outdoor fitness equipment (OFE) in public spaces with the aim of increasing physical activity (PA), very little research has been conducted to investigate the effectiveness of the equipment’s use, especially for achieving the target fitness goal. This study designed an OFE training protocol incorporating four modalities of PA: endurance (air walker and ski machine), resistance (rowing machine and bonny rider), flexibility (arm stretch and shoulder wheel), and balance exercise (waist twister). Seniors who completed the protocol demonstrated that for endurance training, participants were at moderate intensity from heart rate and perceived exertion, while significantly improving cardiac endurance in the two min step test. For resistance/flexibility/balance interventions, only the handgrip strength test, the 30 s chair stand test, the right-hand shoulder flexion test, the right-hand shoulder horizontal abduction test, the single-leg stance test, and the eyes open foam surface clinical test for sensory balance were significant, using a repeated measure analysis of variance. The results demonstrated that older adults aim for the OFE target for specific fitness goals can reach moderate intensity and improve their cardiorespiratory endurance. Yet, results for resistance/flexibility/balance are inconclusive. More studies are needed to carefully assess the effectiveness of using OFE.

Neck circumference in Latin America and the Caribbean: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: High neck circumference (NC) is associated with high burden diseases in Latin American and the Caribbean (LAC). NC complements established anthropometric measurements for early identification of cardio-metabolic and other illnesses. However, evidence about NC has not been systematically studied in LAC. We aimed to estimate the mean NC and the prevalence of high NC in LAC.

Methods: We conducted a systematic review in MEDLINE, Embase, Global Health and LILACS. Search results were screened and studied by two reviewers independently. To assess risk of bias of individual studies, we used the Hoy et al. scale and the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. We conducted a random-effects meta-analysis.

Results: In total, 182 abstracts were screened, 96 manuscripts were reviewed and 85 studies (n= 51,978) were summarized. From all the summarized studies, 14 were conducted in a sample of the general population, 23 were conducted with captive populations and 49 studies were conducted with patients. The pooled mean NC in the general population was 35.69 cm (95% IC: 34.85cm-36.53cm; I²: 99.6%). In our patient populations, the pooled mean NC in the obesity group was 42.56cm (95% CI 41.70cm-43.42cm; I²: 92.40%). Across all studied populations, there were several definitions of high NC; thus, prevalence estimates were not comparable. The prevalence of high NC ranged between 37.00% and 57.69% in the general population. The methodology to measure NC was not consistently reported.

Conclusions: Mean NC in LAC appears to be in the range of estimates from other world regions. Inconsistent methods and definitions hamper cross-country comparisons and time trend analyses. There is a need for consistent and comparable definitions of NC so that it can be incorporated as a standard anthropometric indicator in surveys and epidemiological studies.

Outdoor Fitness Equipment Usage Behaviors in Natural Settings

Outdoor fitness equipment (OFE) areas have become a popular form of built environment infrastructure in public open spaces as a means to improve public health through increased physical activity. However, the benefits of using OFE are not consistent, and several OFE accidents have been reported. In this study, we videotaped how OFE users operate OFE in parks and selected four types of popular OFE (the waist twister, air walker, ski machine, and waist/back massager) for video content analysis. Furthermore, we established coding schemes and compared results with the instructions provided by OFE manufacturers. The results revealed various usage behaviors for the same OFE types. In addition, we observed that a significant portion of user behaviors did not follow manufacturers' instructions, which might pose potential risks or actually cause injuries. Children are especially prone to act improperly. This study provides empirical evidence indicating the existence of potential safety risks due to inappropriate usage behaviors that might lead to accidents and injuries while using OFE. This study provides crucial information that can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of OFE and to develop future park or open space initiatives.