Open streets in Latin-America: Health impacts related to physical activity

Abstract

Introduction. Open streets (OS)(also called “Ciclovías Recreativas” in Spanish), are city streets temporarily repurpose into car-free spaces for leisure activities. OS had a quick expansion in Latin America (LA), arriving to cover 77 Latin American cities in 2019. Aim. This study aims to quantify the health of OS related to physical activity (PA), in 15 Latin American cities. Methods. Quantitative Health Impact Assessment approach, estimating annual deaths, disease incidence (ischemic heart disease (IHD), ischemic stroke, type 2 diabetes (DM2), colon cancer, breast cancer, and dementia), disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) and economic values (on mortality), related to PA. Health and demographic data from each city and country were collected from official records and scientific publications. An OS survey was designed and distributed to city authorities through the Americas Open Street network. Results. This study found that the OS in the 15 LA cities included has an estimated benefit of 1,101 annual deaths avoided due to the increment of PA, with an annual economic impact of $1,575 million USD, and an annual reduction of 3,070 DALYs. In terms of the type of PA, the most benefits between the 15 cities were derived from cyclists (1648 DALYs), followed by pedestrians (359 DALYs). Conclusion. This study found that OS in Latin America can provide important health and health-economic benefits related to physical activity. In those cities where OS already exist, increase the number of OS events, kilometers, and duration could result in a greater number of users, OS related PA, and their health benefits.