Some actions were taken to make public spaces and buildings more accessible; such as parks with parking lots reserved for older people, ramps for entering public buildings, wider sidewalks to reduce older people’s risk of falling. However, these improvements are not evenly adopted across the country. Many cities and neighbourhoods do not have any of these accessibility spaces, especially those located in the poorer regions of Brazil. Some cities in the country have developed a program called the “City Gym” (Academia da Cidade, in Portuguese). This program aims to revitalize public spaces by making them more accessible and transforming them into public gyms where people of all ages can participate in physical activities and enjoy a leisure environment (Recife City Hall, 2019). Based on this programme, originally developed by some municipalities, the Brazilian Ministry of Health created the “Health Gym” (Academia da Saúde, in Portuguese) Programme, which aims to promote physical activity, healthy diet, education in health, and healthy and sustainable lifestyle at national level (Brazilian Ministry of Health, 2011a).

References:

Brazilian Ministry of Health. (2011a). Academia da Saúde.

Recife City Hall. (2019). Academia da Cidade | Prefeitura do Recife. http://www2.recife.pe.gov.br/servico/academia-da-cidade