Physical Activity Promotion: Experiences and Evaluation of the Agita São Paulo Program Using the Ecological Mobile Model

Abstract

A sedentary lifestyle, which affects 50–80% of the world’s population, is associated with the main risk factors for chronic diseases. For this reason stimulating an active lifestyle is critical to control and prevent these illnesses. In Brazil, as in other developing countries, there are few available data to determine the physical activity (PA) level of the population. The first national household survey in Brazil to include PA was the Living Standards Measurement Survey conducted from March 1996 to February 1997. In that survey 11,033 people (over 20 years of age) were evaluated concerning their leisure-time physical activities (LTPA). According to the results only 13% of the Brazilians surveyed reported performing 30 min or more of LTPA on 1 or more days of the week, and only 3.3% reported doing the recommended minimum of 30 min on 5 or more days of the week. In the State of Sao Paulo, data published in 1990 showed that a sedentary lifestyle was prevalent among 69.3% males and females (aged 18 to 70). Another important issue is the cost of this lifestyle in the health system, which is estimated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to represent about 70% of all health expenses. According to 2002 data (CELAFISCS & CDC, unpublished data), 4% (US$37.5 million) of the direct cost in public health in the State of Sao Paulo is related to a sedentary lifestyle. The Agita Sao Paulo Program (the Program) was developed to address this problem. The Program is a multilevel plan that promotes messages about the health benefits of PA and coordinates activities and interventions for broader PA opportunities among more than 37 million inhabitants of the Journal of Physical Activity and Health, 2004, 1, 81-97 © 2004 Human Kinetics Publishers, Inc.