Teses e Dissertações

• Teses
• Dissertações

 

ARTIGO

 

Decline in physical activity among urban Brazilian adults over a five-year

period

 

 

Abstract

 

Purpose: To document changes in physical activity of Brazilian adults by comparing two

surveys carried out five years apart.

 

Methods: Two population-based cross-sectional surveys were carried out in the city of

Pelotas, Brazil, in 2002 and 2007. Their multi-stage sampling strategies were virtually identical. The first study included 3,182 and the second 2,986 adults aged 20 years or older. The short version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) was used in both surveys, and subjects were classified as sedentary if reporting fewer than 150 minutes per week, according to a score combining moderate and vigorous-intensity physical activity.

 

Results: Prevalence of sedentary lifestyle increased from 41.1% (95%CI 37.4; 44.9) in 2002 to 52.0% (95%CI 49.1; 53.8) in 2007. A 70% increase in prevalence of sedentary lifestyle (p=0.008) was observed among poor individuals, whereas there was no significant

change in the better-off. In contrast to the direct association between sedentary lifestyle and socioeconomic level found in 2002, the 2007 survey showed no association. In the 2007

multivariable analysis, sedentary lifestyle was directly associated with age and inversely with schooling.

 

Conclusions: 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.

 

Key-words: motor activity; population surveillance; comparative study; exercise