Entre versos e reversos

um olhar sobre o ambiente urbano e a atividade física como urgência social em saúde coletiva

Abstract

Physical activity is determined by personal, interpersonal, and environmental factors, and its decrease results in an increase in the burden of chronic diseases and the strain on health systems. The aim was to reflect on the interaction between physical activity and the process of urbanization and its impact on collective health. A qualitative research was conducted using the method of textual analysis, based on the poem “Urbanicity”, which was outlined based on the following thematic units: (i) Socio-spatial tensions in modern urbanization: inequalities in urban infrastructure and health promotion; (ii) Lack of spaces, adequate structures, and safety in urban spaces for leisure and physical activity in low-income areas; (iii) Impact of urbanization on mobility limitation and the need to create spaces for physical activity; and (iv) Impacts of urbanization on the reduction of physical activity, health damages resulting from a sedentary lifestyle, and burden on the State. Physical activity as a factor of prevention and health promotion and its relationship with urban environmental attributes is evidenced in the poem and confirmed by the literature. Such attributes, when unfavorable, contribute to unconscious sedentarism. Furthermore, without urgent interventions, chronic diseases will increase, generating overload for health systems.