
Brazil's billion-dollar gym experiment - akkartik
http://mosaicscience.com/story/brazils-billion-dollar-gym-experiment
======
soneca
As a lot of things here in Brazil, this looks like not very thought through.

 _" When you consider the fact that Brazilian diets are commonly high in fat –
meat is often eaten for all three meals of the day – it’s no surprise that
hypertension, diabetes, cancer, obesity and cardiovascular disease are on the
rise."_

What about all the serious recent research showing little correlation between
fat in diet and all the diseases? EDIT: also, I would add that meat is often
eaten in upper classes meals. Meat is a luxury for the better part of our
population.

Actually, I believe that there is research showing that physical activities
has, at the most, an indirect effect on obesity. Although I can't cite any
study here.

Another strange passage:

 _" What really convinces politicians and funders is evidence. "_

Not sure this is true, in Brazil or any other democracy. What really convinces
politicians are projects that generate good publicity. Which this one proved
it can.

Said that, I think this is indeed a good project and it is a good thing that
it is running. But I am inclined to say that the answer to _" Can a grand
vision of 4,000 free public gyms overcome inequality and fight Brazil’s health
crisis? "_ is no.

~~~
zeta_
I don't know where you live, but here in RS meat is definitely not a luxury.

And I speak as poor person that knows people that gain less than $500 per
month.

~~~
yuriks
The RS has historically had more plentiful meat, thus the popularity of
churrasco here. Also, while I'm not very well travelled, I've had people from
the rest of the country react with shocked gasps when I mentioned that I drink
tap water at home, turns out the situation is quite different in the northern
areas. As someone once told me: "a relative travelled to the RS once, he told
me it is almost like a different country."

------
rational-future
Wow, what's up with all the negative comments on HN?

Brazil has $2.5 trillion annual GDP, according to the World Bank it spends
9.3% on health. That's over $200B. Even if this project costs $1B annually,
IMHO spending .5% on effective preventation is a great idea.

------
marincounty
1\. More than 10 per cent of Brazilians live on just two US dollars a day,
despite the fact that the country ranks fifth in the world for its number of
billionaires.

2\. I'm for anything that helps the poor.

3\. In America, I'm not asking for a gym membership, but it would be nice to
have Public restrooms? Yes--just a restroom. "No--we have no restroom!" "The
closest restroom is in that hotel, but you have to sneak in the back door"
"Why do the Homeless defecate in the pristine park?" "Mom--did you bring your
Detrol--there will probally be no restrooms." Yea--It's a problem. And I don't
want to hear if you build it, they will come. Exactly who will come--99% of
the people will be there because they need to use the toilet, and wash their
hands.

~~~
rokhayakebe
WalMart. Everywhere.

------
Jemaclus
I know that exercise doesn't make that much of a dent in the overall obesity
epidemic by itself, but I wonder how much of just exercising influences one's
diet. For instance, if I run 3 miles today, am I more or less likely to eat a
salad for dinner? Or a pizza? Am I more likely to watch my diet if I'm
exercising, or am I more likely to splurge? Is there a trend in either
direction?

If exercise influences diet positively, then this is absolutely worth it. If
it doesn't affect diet at all or if it affects diet negatively, then that's
another story. While exercise is great in and of itself, it doesn't solve an
obesity epidemic. Even people who exercise every day can have cardiac problems
if they don't eat well.

------
lotsofmangos
Nice idea, and I wish them well, but I suspect it will take more than a free
gym for every 50,000 people to put a significant dent in Brazil's inequality
and health problems.

~~~
jerf
Indeed; a reminder that crony capitalism is not isolated to the US.

~~~
Shivetya
what most people miss is that this term applies to about every government
known to man. Oh sure many countries would never call their government
capitalist but they sure do the same thing, politicians and private or
appointed owners of production work together to protect their status usually
with little concern for others.

------
talles
I'm a Brazilian and I've seem near my home those 'open gyms' coming up in the
latest years.

I never see any instructor, but there is this square just across the street of
my house that got some 'gym equipment' for everyone to use.

It's a lovely idea, but (IMHO) this move solely doesn't do much towards better
health results. It's nice to bundle some equipment to do better workout where
we already exercise, but in the end I feel like it would be more efective to
make more of those areas. There is really few good places to workout around
here or take a long walk for instance.

I would _love_ to move around in the city in a bicycle. But there is almost no
bicycle path, and facing the transit with buses passing centimeters to you is
just for the brave.

~~~
swah
I live in Porto Alegre and it has some bycicle path... but to be really useful
it would have to cover _most_ of the way between A and B.

(Also its very obvious that flat and colder cities are much better for
cycling-as-transportation... you can ride in your office clothes)

------
cjensen
Why not try it out on one city before spending a billion on the whole country?
Too many large scale leaders insist on the grand "I'm sure it will work" idea
before bothering to try it out on the small scale first.

------
rodrigoavie
I used to study at the church mentioned in the article when I was a kid, they
had a school too. I used to live at the mentioned neighborhood too.

------
jayantsethi
I wonder how much India is investing in health and fitness. Hope we do
something similar seeing the current fitness levels of the Indian youth.

------
yummyfajitas
I don't get what's new about this. From what I've been told (never been to
Brazil), they always had free public gyms:

[http://timclayton.photoshelter.com/image/I0000dmFBPB1xZuQ](http://timclayton.photoshelter.com/image/I0000dmFBPB1xZuQ)

[http://timclayton.photoshelter.com/image/I0000cCIgGINK7MA](http://timclayton.photoshelter.com/image/I0000cCIgGINK7MA)

[http://timclayton.photoshelter.com/image/I0000DVoSvWJxumY](http://timclayton.photoshelter.com/image/I0000DVoSvWJxumY)

Is the novelty the presence of free lady classes?

------
rnnr
So would you all have happily paid for all those fat people's gyms? If they
want to exercise they could put some walking/running to their daily programme.
You only need a pair of legs to do so. But slackers always find excuses, and
bureaucrats always find ways to spend the money of the economically illiterate
with the smart and naive minds, as it seems.

