Background:In spite of all accumulated scientific knowledge on the benefits of physical activity (PA) for health, high rates of sedentary lifestyle are still observed worldwide. The aim of this study was to systematically review articles on temporal trends of PA and fitness, with emphasis on differences between children/adolescents and adults.Methods:An electronic search at the Medline/PubMed database was carried out using the following combination of keywords: temporal trends or trends or surveillance or monitoring and PA or exercise or physical fitness or motor activity or sedentary or fitness.Results:By using this strategy, 23,088 manuscripts were detected. After examination, 41 articles fulfilled all inclusion criteria, and were, therefore, included. The data currently available in the literature for adults shows that leisure-time activity levels tend to be increasing over time, while occupational-related PA is decreasing over time. Youth PA seems to be decreasing over time, including a lower level of activity in physical education classes. As a consequence, fitness levels are also declining.Conclusion:PA surveillance must be strongly encouraged in all settings and age groups. Special attention must be paid to low and middle-income countries, where PA surveillance is virtually inexistent.

Prática de atividade física em adolescentes brasileiros Physical activity practice among Brazilian adolescents

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the physical activity level and its association with sociodemographic factors in adults living in rural areas. METHODS:Cross-sectional population study including 567 adults in two rural communities from the Jequitinhonha Valley, Southeastern Brazil, during the years of 2008 and 2009. Physical activity levels were assessed with the adapted long version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. A cut-off point of 150 minutes per week was used in the analyses for the domains: occupational, household, leisure and commuting. The sociodemographic factors studied were sex, skin color, age, marital status, education and self-reported health. Bivariate analysis (chi-square test, p≤ 0.05) and multiple logistic regression analysis were performed. RESULTS:The prevalence of subjects practicing 150 min/wk or more of work related physical activity was 82.9% (95% CI: 77.8;88.0) of those currently working. The equivalent proportions for the other domains were: household 63.5% (95% CI: 59.6; 67.4); leisure time 10.1% (95% CI: 7.6;12.6) and commuting 32.0% (95% CI: 28.2;35.8%). Men were more active than women in leisure time, commuting and occupational domains, while women were more active in the household domain. Leisure time physical activity was more prevalent in younger subjects, those with higher levels of education and among those of black or mixed skin color. Commuting physical activity was more frequent among younger women and among men and women in excellent/good health. Men with higher level of schooling were less active in the commuting domain. CONCLUSIONS:The prevalence of physically active adults in this rural area was high, but the levels of leisure time physical activity were low and followed patterns similar to those observed in urban areas, in relation to age, sex and educational status.

Effective interventions for the promotion of physical activity are urgently required in order to overcome the decline in physical activity levels in this population, particularly among the poor.

Background:Evaluation studies of large scale physical activity promotion programs are rare in Latin America. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the association between various forms of exposure to Academia da Cidade (PAC), a professionally supervised intervention in Aracaju (Brazil), and leisure-time physical activity (LTPA).Methods:A population-based study including 2267 adults was carried out. LTPA was assessed using the long version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire, and a cut-off of 150 minutes per week was used in the analyses.Results:In fully adjusted models, having ever heard about PAC was related to an odds of 1.8 (95% CI 1.4−2.2) for reaching the 150-minutes per week LTPA threshold. Equivalent odds ratios were 1.6 (95% CI 1.1−2.3) for having ever seen a PAC class, 14.3 (95% CI 12.3−16.4) for current and 4.0 (95% CI 1.4−11.3) for past PAC participation.Conclusion:Different sources of exposure to PAC were significantly associated with LTPA, which may suggest that professionally-supervised community classes offered for free may be a successful alternative for promoting physical activity in Brazil. If PAC happens to be expanded to other Brazilian areas, intervention studies may be carried out to evaluate its effectiveness.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate public awareness of the association between four behavioral factors (sedentary lifestyle, smoking, alcohol abuse, and inadequate diet) IntroduçãoUm dos aspectos importantes para a melhoria da qualidade de vida de uma população é o aumento da sua capacidade de compreender os fenôme-nos relacionados à sua saúde. O conhecimento sobre um determinado desfecho em saúde pode ser útil para ajudar a evitar o surgimento de um agravo, podendo também influenciar na busca pelo tratamento, quando a doença já está estabelecida. Para tanto, espaços de uso e fluxo populacional, como escolas, universidades, veículos de comunicação e serviços de saúde, são potenciais difusores dessa informação, ainda que a forma de impactar perante a população geral possa ser distinta 1 .No Brasil, a produção científica referente ao conhecimento populacional sobre indicadores de saúde ainda é limitada, visto que poucas pesquisas de base populacional avaliaram esse tema 2 . Não há registros na literatura de estudos brasileiros com o propósito de avaliar conjuntamente o quanto a população conhece sobre fatores de risco, como tabagismo, sedentarismo, alimentação inadequada e consumo excessivo de álcool, às doenças e agravos não transmissíveis. É possível que diferenças culturais, sócio-econômicas e regionais estejam associadas com os níveis de informação. Maiores graus de escolaridade e acesso aos veículos de informação podem afetar o conhecimento e/ou a capacidade de compreensão das informações recebidas 3 .ARTIGO ARTICLE

Inquéritos populacionais estão no centro das atividades relevantes para a saúde pública. Atualmente tem-se interesse em compreender aspectos comportamentais influentes na mudança do quadro de saúde individual e coletiva, entre eles a atividade física. O objetivo do presente estudo é apresentar os resultados de prática de atividade física (AF) da Pesquisa Nacional por Amostra de Domicílios (PNAD) em 2008, conforme distribuição regional e características sociodemográficas. O convênio firmado entre o IBGE e o Ministério da Saúde foi responsável pelo levantamento suplementar de saúde. O tamanho de amostra foi de 292.553 pessoas. A prevalência de AF nos níveis recomendados no lazer foi de 10,5%, o mesmo percentual de indivíduos relatando deslocamento ativo para o trabalho. Homens e indivíduos mais jovens foram mais ativos e houve relação direta entre escolaridade e AF no lazer e inversa entre escolaridade e atividade física no deslocamento. Um em cada cinco brasileiros não pratica qualquer AF, e um em cada três assistem, em média, 3h ou mais de televisão por dia. Estes dados visam apoiar as políticas públicas no desenho de estratégias que promovam ações sustentadas de promoção da saúde, especialmente de AF, visando o alcance de resultados que influenciem positivamente na qualidade de vida da população.

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