Daily steps and their association with cardiometabolic risk factors in teachers

Abstract

Cardiovascular diseases are the main causes of worldwide morbidity and mortality, with a sedentary lifestyle being one of the main risk factors for its development. Thus, this investigation aimed to evaluate the number of daily steps and their association with cardiometabolic risk factors (CRF) in teachers. The number of daily steps, anthropometric, hemodynamic and biochemical parameters of 150 teachers were evaluated, divided into two groups (G1 <10,000 steps and G2 ≥ 10,000 steps). To determine the association and magnitude of this between CRF and insufficient levels of physical activity, the chi square test and odds ratio were used. Pearson's correlation was used to verify the relationship between the number of steps and the other variables and ROC curves to assess the cutoff point of daily steps in relation to each CRF. Among the teachers evaluated, 42% were physically active, with a better anthropometric, hemodynamic and biochemical profile. Arterial hypertension and dyslipidemia were the CRF that were associated with the condition of low number of steps. The cut-off point for the number of steps indicated values greater than 12,500 steps/day for protection against CRF. Thus, most teachers were insufficiently active, highlighting that those who reached 10,000 steps per day on average, had a better cardiometabolic profile

Prevalence of anxiety, depression, and stress among teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Another factor that could contribute to increased levels of anxiety and stress when returning to in-person classes is the health status of teachers; there was a higher prevalence of anxiety in teachers with chronic diseases [13] . Several studies have recorded a high prevalence of obesity, hypertension, diabetes, respiratory disorders, and other chronic non-communicable diseases in teachers [23–25] . Considering that obesity, diabetes and hypertension are associated with higher mortality due to COVID-19, when resuming classes, teachers with chronic diseases may be more afraid that, if infected, they could see more harmful effects.…”