OBJECTIVE:To summarize and analyze evidences of the association between physical activity and quality of life.

There is a positive relationship between PA and QoL, though this association varies according to the type and intensity of PA and differs across QoL domains. Unlike transport PA, leisure-time PA shows consistent association with QoL.

The aim of this study was to synthesize and analyze scientific evidence of the perceived barriers to leisure-time physical activity (PA) in the Brazilian population. The Lilacs, SciELO, PubMed, ScienceDirect and Web of Science journal databases were reviewed and the number of reports of each barrier to PA, grouped according to the level of determinants of the social ecological model (intrapersonal, interpersonal and environmental) was analyzed. We found 25 studies (11 in adolescents, 8 in adults and 6 in older adults), totaling 62,678 reports of barriers to PA. The studies were conducted in the South (n=15), Southeast (n=7), and Northeast (n=2) regions, and one study also included different regions of Brazil. Overall, about seven out of every 10 reports on barriers to PA involved intrapersonal barriers. Adults and older adults had a higher proportion of reports of intrapersonal barriers (84.8% and 74%, respectively), than adolescents (47.8%). There are still few studies with older adults, children, and in populations of the Midwest and North of the country. The most frequently reported barriers to PA among adolescents were lack of company, lack of social support from family and friends, unsuitable climate and limited access to spaces for PA. Lack of motivation and lack of time were the most frequently reported barriers in adults, whereas in older adults the predominant barriers were lack of motivation and diagnosed disease or physical limitation. PA promotion programs need to take into account the different barriers to PA, since these are specific to age groups. Level of Evidence II; Systematic Review of Level II Studies.

OBJECTIVE:To estimate the prevalence of physical activity in adolescents and to identify associated factors. METHODS:A cross-sectional study was conducted with a representative sample (n=1,518, 59.2% females) of students aged between 14 and 18 years, enrolled in the public school network of the city of Curitiba, Southern Brazil, in 2006. Physical activity practice was self-reported, according to the number of days per week when they perform moderate to vigorous physical activity lasting ≥ 60 minutes. This practice was analyzed in two distinct models. In the fi rst model, the variable was dichotomized into "0 day" and "≥ 1 day"; in the second, into "≤ 4 days" and "≥ 5 days". Independent variables were as follows: biological-demographic (sex, age, body mass index); socioeconomic (parents' level of education, number of cars); behavioral (number of hours spent watching television, number of hours spent using a computer); and sociocultural (social support from family and friends and the perception of barriers to the practice of activities), tested with Poisson regression. RESULTS:In the fi rst model of analysis, the prevalence of physical activity was 58.2% (75.1% in males; 46.5% in females; p<0.001), while, in the second, it was 14.5% (22.3% and 9.1%, respectively; p<0.001). In the fi rst model, the variables associated with physical activity were: male sex (PR=1.63, 95% CI: 1.48;1.78), social support from family (PR=1.14, 95% CI: 1.05;1.23), social support from friends (PR=1.52, 95% CI: 1.31;1.78) and high perception of barriers (PR=0.54, 95% CI: 0.46;0.62). In the second model, only male sex (PR=2.45, 95% CI: 1.73;3.46) and high perception of barriers (PR=0.24, 95% CI: 0.15;0.38) were associated with physical activity. CONCLUSIONS:More than half of adolescents practice physical activity at least one day of the week, although 14.5% achieved the current recommendations. The recommended levels are associated with a lower number of factors. Gender and perception of barriers were consistently associated with physical activity levels.

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OBJECTIVE: To analyze the association between physical activity (PA) and biological maturation in children and adolescents. DATA SOURCE: We performed a systematic review in April 2013 in the electronic databases of PubMed/MEDLINE, SportDiscus, Web of Science and LILACS without time restrictions. A total of 628 potentially relevant articles were identified and 10 met the inclusion criteria for this review: cross-sectional or longitudinal studies, published in Portuguese, English or Spanish, with schoolchildren aged 9-15 years old of both genders. DATA SYNTHESIS: Despite the heterogeneity of the studies, there was an inverse association between PA and biological maturation. PA decreases with increased biological and chronological age in both genders. Boys tend to be more physically active than girls; however, when controlling for biological age, the gender differences disappear. The association between PA and timing of maturation varies between the genders. Variation in the timing of biological maturation affects the tracking of PA in early adolescent girls. This review suggests that mediators (BMI, depression, low self-esteem, and concerns about body weight) can explain the association between PA and biological maturation. CONCLUSIONS: There is an association between PA and biological maturation. PA decreases with increasing biological age with no differences between genders. As for the timing of biological maturation, this association varies between genders.

Background Evidence from developing countries is limited on how income level for a given neighborhood is related to physical activity among its residents. Purpose The goal of the study was to examine the association between walkability and physical activity outcomes, and the effect of income on the relationship between walkability and physical activity in adults. Methods The Spaces for Physical Activity in Adults Study (ESPACOS Project) took place in Curitiba, Brazil. Data were collected in 2010 in 32 census tracts selected to vary in income and walkability, as measured by GIS. Participants were 697 individuals aged 18–65 years (52.0% were women) randomly sampled from the selected neighborhoods. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire was used to measure physical activity. All analyses were conducted in 2012. Results The proportion of those who walked for transportation for ≥150 minutes/week was 21.1% in low-walkability areas, and ranged from 33.5% to 35.0% in high-walkability areas. A total of 12.6% of residents were found to walk for leisure for ≥150 minutes/week; this result did not vary across quadrants of walkability and income level. The prevalence of leisure-time moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) was 7.1–10.5 percentage points higher in high-compared to low-walkability areas. After adjusting for all individual confounders, walkability showed an independent association with walking for transport (OR=2.10, 95% CI=1.31, 3.37, p=0.002) and leisure-time MVPA (OR=1.57; 95% CI=1.06, 2.32; p=0.024). Neighborhood income level was independently associated with leisure-time MVPA (OR=1.70; 95% CI=1.06, 2.74, p=0.029). No association was found between walkability and walking for leisure. No interaction was found between walkability and neighborhood income level. Conclusions This study, among adults living in Curitiba, Brazil, confirms findings from studies of high-income countries showing that walkability is positively associated with physical activity. People living in high-walkability areas were more likely to be physically active regardless of their neighborhood income level.

BackgroundNeighborhood safety is one of the environmental aspects that can influence physical activity. We analyzed the association between perceived neighborhood safety and physical inactivity (PI) in adults and examined effect modification according to sociodemographic variables.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted with 1,261 adults (62% women), age 18–69 years from Curitiba, Brazil.ResultsThe perception of unsafe neighborhood was higher among women, older participants, those classified in the high socioeconomic (SES) group, overweighed and also among those reporting to have PA equipments and children. The association between perception safety of walking during the day and walking for leisure (women PR = 1.12 CI95% = 1.02–1.22; men PR = 0.82 CI95% = 0.64–1.05; interaction term PR = 1.38 CI95% = 1.03–1.83) and safe perception was associated with PI, just in the highest SES group (PR = 1.09; CI95% = 1.00–1.19; p trend = 0.032) when compared with their counterparts (low SES PR = 0.99; CI95% = 0.90–1.04; p trend = 0.785; interaction term PR = 1.09; CI95% = 1.03–1.15; p trend = 0.007).ConclusionThe perception of safety in the neighborhood was associated with PI in transport, but this association varies across of sociodemographic variables.