Abstract
Objective: to evaluate the level of physical activity, cardiorespiratory fitness and nutritional status of Brazilian higher education institution servers. Method: 134 public servants (80 men and 54 women) were evaluated to estimate body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), waist/hip ratio (WHR), aerobic fitness and blood pressure at rest. Results: most of the servers were classified as insufficiently active (62%). BMI results show a high prevalence of obesity (39% mild and 33% moderate). WC showed a prevalence of high (30%) and very high risk (27%), and WHR showed a prevalence of high (28%) or very high risk (12%). The ergometric test showed that 41% of the servers presented very poor (17%) or poor (24%) aerobic fitness and 23%, regular aerobic fitness. Considering blood pressure, 15% of the servers presented blood pressure considered as borderline and 30% considered as hypertension. No associations were found between physical condition (active or inactive) with WC (χ2 = 3.4, p = 0.179), WHR (χ2 = 7.0, p = 0.073), aerobic fitness (χ2 = 4.3, p = 0.368) and blood pressure (χ2 = 2.9, p = 0.734). Although no association was observed between physical activity and BMI (χ2 = 7.6, p = 0.062), significance values (p < 0.07) suggested an association trend, with worse ratings for the sedentary group. Closing remarks: among higher education institution servers, there is high prevalence of physical inactivity, obesity and risk factors, and the majority of the sample had aerobic fitness below recommended levels.
Highlights
Cardiovascular diseases are one of the leading causes of death worldwide.[1]
All participants were informed about the study procedures, Anamnesis A semi-structured questionnaire was used, with questions on aspects relating to personal data, cardiovascular risk factors, medical diagnosis, referent to the practice of regular physical activity, knowledge of the benefits of exercise and, if not practiced, the reasons for not exercising
Anthropometric characteristics, cardiovascular risk factors and physical fitness of higher education institution servers are presented in table 1
Summary
Cardiovascular diseases are one of the leading causes of death worldwide.[1]. In Brazil these diseases are the main cause of death.[2]. According to some studies[7,8] changes in lifestyle, such as regular physical activity, represent a beneficial effect on major cardiovascular risk factors. Small increases in the levels of physical activity in sedentary populations could represent a significant improvement with respect to reducing the incidence of diseases, especially cardiovascular diseases.[1] the prevalence of physical inactivity is very high, even with the proven benefits of regular exercise. It is estimated that 31% of adults and 80% of adolescents worldwide do not meet the recommendations for physical activity.[9] In Brazil about 80% of the population is sedentary.[10]
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