All Publications
Physical Activity Levels at School: Use of the System for Observing Play and Leisure Activity in Youth (SOPLAY)
Revista Educación, 2020
Different levels of physical activity were observed during recess among students at six public schools in the Costa Rican province of Heredia and recorded according to sex, school semester and schedule. This is a descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted using the System for Observing Play and Leisure Activities (SOPLAY) in a sample group of 1098 schoolchildren. A descriptive and a non-parametric analysis of U-Mann Whitney was also used to compare two independent samples according to sex, school semester and schedule with a statistical criterion of p <0.05.
Socio-demographic patterns of public, private and active travel in Latin America: Cross-sectional findings from the ELANS study
Journal of Transport & Health, 2020
Active travel such as walking or cycling has been associated with more favorable health outcomes. However, evidence on patterns of transportation in Latin America is scarce. Therefore, the aim of this study was to quantify and characterice socio-demographic patterns of public, private and active travel in Latin American countries.
Latin American consumption of major food groups: Results from the ELANS study
PLoS ONE, 2019
The Latin American (LA) region is still facing an ongoing epidemiological transition and shows a complex public health scenario regarding non-communicable diseases (NCDs). A healthy diet and consumption of specific food groups may decrease the risk of NCDs, how-ever there is a lack of dietary intake data in LA countries.
Original research Socio-demographic patterning of self-reported physical activity and sitting time in Latin American countries: findings from ELANS
BMC Public Health, 2019
Low levels of physical activity (PA) and prolonged sitting time (ST) increase the risk of non-communicable diseases and mortality, and can be influenced by socio-demographic characteristics. The aim of this study was to use self-report data to characterise socio-demographic patterns of PA and ST in eight Latin American
Food habits of urban Costa Rican population
Acta Médica Costarricense, 2019
It is known that bad eating habits contribute to the emergence of chronic diseases, such as obesity and diabetes mellitus, however, there is no updated information regarding the food of the urban population in Costa Rica. The objective of this study was to analyze the eating habits of the Costa Rican population included in the Latin American Study of Nutrition and Health (ELANS). The study method included a sample of 798 participants between 15 and 65 years of the urban area of Costa Rica. The average daily food consumption and frequency per mealtime were determined according to sex, age group, and socioeconomic status.