Rodrigo Siqueira Reis

Rapid urbanization has intensified health and social inequities through the uneven distribution of infrastructure, services, and public space. In St. Louis, Missouri (USA), these disparities remain geographically concentrated and rooted in long-standing patterns of racial segregation and disinvestment. This study examines how spatial inequities shape urban livability by integrating scalable artificial intelligence (AI) methods with community-based insights. We applied a vision–language model (VLM), supported by a large language model (LLM), to classify micro-scale built-environment features from 7848 Google Street View segments, and conducted semi-structured interviews with residents and stakeholders. The AI analysis revealed baseline infrastructure such as street lighting (84.9%) and continuous pavements (77%), but very low coverage of universal design features such as curb ramps (9.7%) and pedestrian crossings (7.1%). These deficits were significantly associated with lower median incomes and higher proportions of non-Hispanic Black residents. Qualitative findings confirmed and contextualized these patterns, linking them to historical redlining, fragmented governance, and everyday experiences of constrained mobility and safety. By combining scalable AI tools with community narratives, this study demonstrates that spatial inequities are both visible in the physical streetscape and embodied in daily life. Methodologically, it advances the use of VLM and LLM-enabled pipelines for urban audits; conceptually, it reframes livability metrics through the lens of spatial equity; and practically, it provides a replicable framework for equity-centered planning.

The 24-hour movement approach has strengthened physical activity science by integrating physical activity, sedentary behavior, and sleep within the day’s finite time. This Comment argues that its major contribution is also its main limitation. By treating the day as a composition of movement states, the approach extends the energy-expenditure definition of physical activity into a more complete, yet still behavior-centered, account of daily life. Physical activity should also be understood as a population condition shaped by governments, institutions, and markets through access to opportunity. This shift matters because individuals do not simply allocate movement, sitting, and sleep; labor, transport, housing, safety, gender, income, climate, commercial forces, and public infrastructure structure these activities. Moreover, in low-income settings and low- and middle-income countries, necessity often shapes activity, while choice-constrained conditions frequently limit leisure-time or volitional activity. A more equitable 24-hour framework should therefore move from movement behaviors alone to 24-hour living conditions, asking not only how time is spent but also how opportunity is distributed.

Climate change is rapidly reshaping weather patterns and increasing the frequency of extreme events with profound impacts on urban systems and infrastructure, including access to housing (Bezgrebel...

Using sentiment analysis of 44,216 public health-related posts from the FedNews Reddit forum (2020-2025), we found that fear and anger scores rose 32% and 63%, respectively, in 2025 over 2024. These results underscore the adverse mental health impact of federal workforce changes and funding cuts on public health employees.

Background : Climate change and physical inactivity are urgent public health challenges with intersecting effects on health, environmental sustainability, and community resilience. Physical Activity Plans (PAPs) and Priority Climate Action Plans (PCAPs) provide strategic frameworks for advancing both agendas. This study aimed to identify opportunities to leverage physical activity as a strategy for climate mitigation and adaptation and to recommend coordinated actions for policy and practice. Methods : We conducted a directed content analysis of PAPs and PCAPs. Using NVivo (version 14), we extracted elements of plans, such as goals, objectives, strategies, sectors, implementing agencies, and year of implementation, and systematically assessed cross-plan connections. The connections were then categorized by unifying themes and analyzed to determine whether physical activity contributed to mitigation, adaptation, or both. Results : Analysis of 25 state-level PAPs and PCAPs revealed multiple pathways through which physical activity can contribute to climate goals, including active transportation, green infrastructure, energy-efficient spaces, dissemination efforts, and the creation of safe and inviting public spaces. Despite clear opportunities for co-benefits between health and climate, significant gaps remain. Among these are the absence of shared goals and coordinated strategies across PAPs and PCAPs, as well as inconsistent integration of equity and community engagement in plan development. Conclusion : These findings underscore the potential of integrated, cross-sectoral strategies to advance both public health and climate resilience. Embedding equity and community participation in future PAPs and PCAPs and aligning federal policies with state policies is crucial for bridging gaps, maximizing co-benefits, and promoting socially just and sustainable outcomes.

Background : Physical activity is a major contributor to population health, yet opportunities for active living are inequitably distributed due to social and structural determinants of health. Climate change, urbanization, and social inequalities influence whether individuals engage in physical activity out of necessity or as a free choice. Methods : We present an Enhanced Socioecological Model integrating planetary health and the necessity-choice continuum into the classic socioecological framework, providing a tool to assess large-scale interventions originating outside the health sector. After critically synthesizing the Ecological Model of Active Living, the Social Determinants of Health, and the Planetary Health framework, we applied enhanced socioecological model to 2 national affordable-housing programs—Brazil’s Minha Casa, Minha Vida and the US Choice Neighborhoods Initiative. Results : A review of peer-reviewed studies, policy documents, and program reports reveals that peripheral Minha Casa, Minha Vida developments exacerbate necessity-driven mobility through inadequate transit and infrastructure thereby heightening climatic and social vulnerabilities. Conversely, Choice Neighborhoods Initiative’s in situ, mixed-income redevelopment fosters choice-driven activity via transit connectivity, green space, and community amenities. Conclusion : The Enhanced Socioecological Model offers a unifying framework for guiding future research and policy interventions, advancing equitable, climate-resilient urban development while promoting public health.

The climate crisis is undoubtedly compromising human and planetary health. As behaviour change scientists, we must reflect on the behaviours we are promoting, as well as the research and professional practices we engage in, to ensure we are prioritizing human and planetary health. This commentary focuses on issues within the scope of scientific/academic societies by sharing our journey as the Climate Action Committee for the International Society for Behavioural Nutrition and Physical Activity. First, we provide details on the structure and function of our committee, then we provide insights into the GHG emissions associated with running our society, and finally, we report on our journey thus far, sharing the strategies we have identified that align with current evidence on climate change. We also address the tensions associated with climate action within scientific societies, and hope to begin a dialogue with others to come up with creative solutions that continue to support research and researchers, while addressing the urgency of our climate crisis.