Physical activity (PA) counseling by health professionals has promising results in behavior change. However, few studies have evaluated its prevalence in Primary Health Care in Latin American countries. This study aimed to describe the prevalence and analyze the associated factors of PA counseling in adults in Primary Health Care in Brazil. This is a cross-sectional study with a representative sample of 779 adults (70% women). Counseling was identified among those who reported having received PA counseling during a health professional consultation in the last 12 months. Sociodemographic factors, health conditions, and leisure-time PA were analyzed with Poisson regression. The prevalence of counseling was 43% (95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 39.5–46.4%), higher in people aged ≥40 years (Prevalence Ratio [PR]: 1.44; 95% CI: 1.19–1.75], who are married (PR: 1.27; 95% CI: 1.07–1.59), obese (PR: 1.53; 95% CI: 1.23–1.90), take prescription medication (PR: 1.83; 95% CI: 1.47–2.27), and walk for leisure (PR: 1.28; 95% CI: 1.06–1.54). People with more education were less likely to receive PA counseling (PR: 0.82; 95% CI: 0.68–0.99). In conclusion, 4 out of 10 users reported receiving PA counseling and this was associated with sociodemographic factors, health conditions, and walking for leisure. These results can guide PA promotion in Primary Health Care.

O objetivo deste estudo foi desenvolver o modelo lógico do “Programa Cidade Ativa, Cidade Saudável” da cidade de São José dos Pinhais, Paraná. Trinta e seis gestores forneceram parte das informações e o modelo lógico foi elaborado conforme as diretrizes do Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Foram identificadas 163 pessoas responsáveis por elaborar, gerenciar, coordenar, apoiar e ministrar diversas ações de atividades físicas, esportivas e lúdicas para a população, sob responsabilidade das divisões de “lazer e eventos populares”, “esportes populares” e “esportes de rendimento”. O modelo lógico possibilitou a identificação ordenada dos recursos, atividades, produtos e metas do programa. Estes dados poderão auxiliar a reestruturação do Programa frente a possíveis demandas de gestão. Futuros estudos podem utilizar estas informações para avaliar a efetividade e a eficácia do Programa nos indicadores de saúde da população.

BACKGROUND:The COVID-19 pandemic may be having many psychological impacts on people, at both an individual and a community level. OBJECTIVE: To ascertain the relationship between the weekly frequency of physical activity and levels of stress among Brazilian adults during social distancing due to the coronavirus (COVID-19), and the interaction of sex in this association. DESIGN AND SETTING: Cross-sectional study with a descriptive approach conducted at a public university in Curitiba (PR), Brazil. METHODS: 2,000 Brazilian adults (average age 36.4 years; 59.6% women) were recruited according to convenience through digital media. They filled out a questionnaire in electronic format that asked for sociodemographic information, health data, food consumption data, weekly frequency of physical activity and stress levels on the 10-item Kessler psychological distress scale. Descriptive statistics and regression analyses were used to evaluate the data. RESULTS: Associations were observed for the following correlations: male sex * no physical activity (odds ratio (OR): 4.35; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.14-16.67); female sex * physical activity 4 or 5 times a week (OR: 7.86; 95% CI: 2.28-27.05); female sex * physical activity 3 times a week (OR: 7.32; 95% CI: 2.09-25.58); female sex * physical activity 1 or 2 times a week (OR: 14.57; 95% CI: 4.28-49.57); and female sex * no physical activity (OR: 24.17; 95% CI: 7.21-80.97). CONCLUSION: The lower the weekly frequency of physical activity during the period of social distancing was, the greater the chances of having stress levels were, especially for women.

BACKGROUND: Many factors may negatively impact physical activity (PA), but studies lack evidence of individual predictors of perceived barriers to PA among adults in primary healthcare units. OBJECTIVE: To analyze associations between sociodemographic characteristics, health conditions, leisure-time physical activity (LTPA), PA counseling and perceived barriers to LTPA among adult patients in primary healthcare units of the National Health System in Brazil. DESIGN AND SETTING: Cross-sectional study on a representative sample of adults in primary healthcare units in São José dos Pinhais, Paraná, Brazil. METHODS: This study was conducted in 2019, among 779 adults (70% women). Barriers to LTPA, sociodemographic characteristics (sex, age, marital status, skin color, education and income), health conditions (body mass index, hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, coronary disease and medications), LTPA level and PA counseling received were measured using validated, standardized procedures. The data were analyzed using chi-square and Mann-Whitney U tests. RESULTS: The most prevalent barriers were "feeling too tired" (53%) and "lack of time" (52%). PA counseling was inversely associated with "lack of time" (45% versus 57%; P < 0.001) but positively associated with "injury or disease" (38% versus 29%; P = 0.008). There was an inverse linear trend between the number of barriers and LTPA (walking and total) (P < 0.001). Most barriers differed in comparisons of sociodemographic characteristics, health conditions, LTPA and counseling (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The barriers vary according to the individual predictors. Counseling strategies need to be specific for each barrier and may be promising for promoting LTPA within primary healthcare.

To verify the association between the practice of physical activity and dietary patterns and psychological distress before and during the lockdown due to COVID-19, a cross-sectional study was performed with 2000 Brazilians (mean [M] = 35.78 years; standard deviation [SD] = 11.20; 59.6% women) recruited through convenience sampling via digital media. Participants completed an electronic questionnaire containing sociodemographic and clinical information, nutritional patterns, physical activity, and psychological distress. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multinomial regression. Before the COVID-19 lockdown, the chance of women presenting very high stress, in relation to men, was six times higher (OR = 6.32; 95% CI 4.20–9.51), a behavior that remained similar during the lockdown (OR = 6.63; 95% CI 4.40–10.00). Before the lockdown, insufficient physical activity doubled the chance of having very high stress in relation to those who engaged in physical activities six to seven times a week (OR = 2.11; 95% CI 1.10–4.02). However, during the lockdown, this probability was higher, from twice to 10 times the chance (OR = 10.19; 95% CI 4.85–21.41). Not exercising alone (OR = 2.18; 95% CI 1.52–3.11) and a decreasing physical activity frequency (OR = 2.28; 95% CI 1.40–3.71) were also associated with very high stress during the lockdown. Additionally, the consumption of smaller amounts of food showed an inverse association with very high stress (OR = 0.28; 95% CI 0.18–0.43). The maintenance of physical activity and an adequate eating frequency are measures that should be considered to cope with higher levels of anxiety and depression.

This study aimed to describe the physical activity (PA) in public open spaces (POS) in a medium-sized city in Brazil. The System for Observing Play and Recreation in Communities (SOPARC) was applied to evaluate a representative sample of users in 10 POS which received actions from the Active City, Healthy City Program. The places were evaluated four days a week (Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday) at four times (8 am, 10 am, 2 pm, and 4 pm). The proportion of users by gender, age group, skin color, and PA level was compared between the POS using the chi-square test for heterogeneity in the STATA software (p<0.05). As main results, 32,768 scans were performed in 64 target areas and identified 8,634 individuals. The highest proportion of people were males (58%), adults (38%), with white skin color (97%), and in light or moderate PA (76%). Except for skin color, there was a significant difference in the proportion of all other variables between the POS (p < 0.05). In conclusion, the POS was more commonly used by men, adults, and people of white skin color for light and moderate PA. Based on the results, program managers could reallocate resources to increase utilization and PA at each place.