Understanding the relationships between 24-hour movement behavior, community mobility and the neighborhood built environment for healthy aging in Brazil: The EpiMove study protocol

Abstract

Background

The population is aging rapidly worldwide, impacting public health, with countries in the Global South, such as Brazil, aging faster than developed nations. The 24-hour movement behavior is crucial for healthy aging, but its relationship with the neighborhood built environment is underresearched, especially for older adults. The EpiMove Study uses accelerometers and GPS to investigate the relationships between 24-hour movement behavior, community mobility and the neighborhood built environment for healthy aging in older Brazilian adults.

Methods

The EpiMove Study is a representative cross-sectional study of older adults aged 60 years and older from an urban area in the southern region of Brazil. It consists of two phases. Phase 1 involves conducting home interviews to gather subjective measures of the neighborhood built environment and physical activity. Phase 2 involves delivering devices to participants’ homes and collecting objective data on 24-hour movement behavior via wrist-worn wGT3X-BT ActiGraph accelerometers and community-based active transportation via hip-mounted GPS Qstarz-1000XT devices. The data are collected simultaneously over seven consecutive days, along with the participants’ reasons for adhering to the study protocol.

Discussion

The EpiMove study will provide a better understanding of the relationships between the perceived neighborhood environment and 24-hour movement behaviors and community-based active transportation among older adults, with a particular focus on whether environmental factors influence these behaviors, which are crucial for healthy aging. The results from the EpiMove study could offer essential evidence for developing public policies and urban interventions that support healthier and more equitable environments for aging populations, particularly in rapidly urbanizing regions.