The gripping coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has imposed dramatic changes to many areas of daily living in all sectors of society across the world. We examined the relationship between perceived stress and health behaviors among college students during the COVID-19 pandemic. An online survey with measures of psychological stress, physical activity and exercise, and sleep and social connectedness was distributed in June and July of 2020. The survey was completed by 550 college students (mean age: 21.3 ± 3.8 years, 74.2% female, 94.4% Caucasian). Being female and unemployed and having a lower annual income were significantly associated with higher levels of stress. In addition, regression analysis found that reduced exercise and sleep during the COVID-19 pandemic significantly predicted the levels of stress of participants after controlling for gender, employment status, and annual income. University officials should aim to implement health-promotion strategies directed at preventing reductions in exercise and sleep duration, especially in those at greater risk of increased perceived stress such as females and economically disadvantaged students.

BackgroundArterial hypertension is a major public health problem and has increased considerably in young individuals in past years. Thus, identifying factors associated with this condition is important to guide intervention strategies in this population.ObjectiveTo determine high blood pressure prevalence and its associated factors in adolescents.MethodsA random sample of 1,242 students enrolled in public schools of the city of Curitiba (PR) was selected. Self-administered questionnaires provided family history of hypertension, daily energy expenditure, smoking habit, daily fat intake, and socioeconomic status. Waist circumference was measured following standardized procedures, and blood pressure was measured with appropriate cuffs in 2 consecutive days to confirm high blood pressure. Relative frequency and confidence interval (95%CI) indicated high blood pressure prevalence. Bivariate and multivariate analyses assessed the association of risk factors with high blood pressure.ResultsThe high blood pressure prevalence was 18.2% (95%CI 15.2-21.6). Individuals whose both parents had hypertension [odds ratio (OR), 2.22; 95%CI 1.28-3.85] and those with high waist circumference (OR, 2.1; 95%CI 1.34-3.28) had higher chances to develop high blood pressure.ConclusionPositive family history of hypertension and high waist circumference were associated with high blood pressure in adolescents. These factors are important to guide future interventions in this population.

Objective: to investigate the association between body mass index (BMI) and functional fitness levels linked to the Elderly in Movement Program of the city of Curitiba, in the state of Paraná, Brazil. Methods: The study is characterized as correlational and crosssectional. The sample consisted of 1,806 elderly female participants of the Elderly in Movement Program. The short version of the IPAQ was used to evaluate participation in physical activities; body weight (kg) and height (m) were measured to calculate BMI (kg/m²), while the motor tests proposed in the Senior Fitness Test were used to evaluate the functional fitness of the elderly women. Descriptive statistics, the chi-squared test and binary logistic regression were used for data analysis. Results: The results showed that 24.0% of the sample exhibited eutrophic nutritional status, 42.9% were overweight and 33.1% were obese. The elderly women classified as overweight and obese had lower functional fitness scores, based on the rating of Rikli and Jones, while the elderly women classified as eutrophic exhibited levels within the normal range. Obese elderly women were more likely to have low scores in the following functional fitness tests: Walk for 6 minutes, Chair Stand, Chair Sit and Reach, Back Scratch and 8-Foot Up and Go. Conclusion: The study indicated an association between, BMI and functional fitness in the elderly women participating in the program, where the majority of elderly women classified as obese exhibited low fitness in all tests.

-Aim:To ascertain the effects of an after-school intervention on physical activity levels and cardiovascular risk factors in adolescents from Campinas, Brazil. Methods: This was an intervention study with 71 adolescents that was carried out in two schools, randomly assigned to a control group (CG:n=45) or an intervention group (IG:n=26).We performed evaluations of body composition, sexual maturation, blood pressure, level of physical activity, sedentary time (ST), and eating habits, as well as biochemical variables by a portable analyzer. The IG participated in two weekly sessions of physical activities and controlled physical exercises for 14 weeks. The sessions lasted 60', and were divided into warm-up (5-10'), main part (40-50'), and recovery (5-10'). Results: 30.8% of the IG and 24.4% of the CG were classified as overweight/obese. Additionally, the IG showed significantly lower ST (total: p=0.037; daily:p=0.009) after the intervention, as well as in the post-period (total ST: p=0.043; daily ST: p=0.007). The IG showed a reduction in glycemia (p=0.025). Conclusion: The intervention program generated positive changes in glycemia levels and ST. These results suggest that interventions involving physical exercise should be promoted in the school environment, as physical activity is an important component of a healthy lifestyle.

A balance between the feasibility and validity of measures is an important consideration for physical activity (PA) research—particularly in school-based research with youth. The present study extends previously tested calibration methods to develop and test new equations for an online version of the youth activity profile (YAP) tool, a self-report tool designed for school applications. Data were collected across different regions and seasons to develop more robust, generalizable equations. The study involved a total of 717 youth from 33 schools (374 elementary [ages 9–11 years], 224 middle [ages 11–14 years], and 119 high school [ages 14–18 years]) in two different states in the United States. Participants wore a Sensewear monitor for a full week and then completed the online YAP at school to report PA and sedentary behaviors in school and at home. Accelerometer data were processed using an R-based segmentation program to compute PA and sedentary behavior levels. Quantile regression models were used with half of the sample to develop item-specific YAP calibration equations, and these were cross validated with the remaining half of the sample. Computed values of mean absolute percentage error ranged from 15 to 25% with slightly lower error observed for the middle school sample. The new equations had improved precision compared with the previous versions when tested on the same sample. The online version of the YAP provides an efficient and effective way to capture school level estimates of PA and sedentary behaviors in youth.

Com o crescimento constante da população idosa torna-se necessário a discussão sobre os aspectos relacionados a aptidão funcional, uma vez que essa pode interferir no envelhecimento saudável. O objetivo desse estudo foi verificar a associação entre aptidão funcional e qualidade de vida em 1737 idosas participantes de um programa de atividade física de Curitiba, Paraná, Brasil. Foi aplicado o Questionário sociodemográfico, a versão curta do International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), e os questionários de qualidade de vida WHOQOL-BREF e WHOQOL-OLD. Também foi aplicado a bateria de testes de aptidão funcional “Senior Fitness Test” (SFT). Foi utilizado a análise descritiva das variáveis e o Modelo de regressão logística ordinal para verificar as associações entre as variáveis de aptidão funcional e os domínios da qualidade de vida por meio do software STATA 13.0 MP, com significância de p<0,05. Os resultados indicaram que idosas com aptidão funcional adequada apresentaram mais chances de estarem no tercil mais alto da qualidade de vida e domínios na avaliação do WHOQOL-BREF (variando entre 1,21 a 1,49) e WHOQOL-OLD (variando de 1,18 até 1,60). Os resultados apontaram que uma melhor aptidão funcional  apresenta-se positivamente associada a percepção positiva da qualidade de vida e de seus domínios em idosas.

PA Cohort studies demonstrated lower risk of methodological bias than Health Cohort studies. The optimal youth step-count guideline of 12,000 steps/day was endorsed.

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