Physical Activity and Sleep in Adults and Older Adults in Southern Brazil.

Good sleep quality is a well-known indicator of physical and mental health, well-being, and overall vitality. This study aimed to verify the association between the practice of physical activity and sleep duration and quality in adults and older adults in southern Brazil. A cross-sectional population-based study was carried out with 820 individuals of both sexes aged 18 years or more, where sociodemographic variables were collected and also health-related variables. This study included 523 (63.8%) women and 297 (36.2%) men, and the prevalence of adequate sleep hours was 41.5% (95%CI: 39.1; 44.9). People who performed leisure walking were 34% more likely to present adequate sleep duration (PR: 1.34; 95%CI: 1.10; 1.64) compared to those who did not perform leisure walking. Individuals who met the recommendations for moderate or vigorous physical activity were more likely to have good sleep quality (PR: 1.16; 95%CI: 1.01; 1.34). Future health behavior modification strategies to improve sleep quality at the population level should consider encouraging lifestyle improvements, thus increasing the practice of physical activities.

Normalization of Muscle Strength Measurements in the Assessment of Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in Adolescents.

Muscle strength (MS) has been associated with cardiometabolic risk factors (CMR) in adolescents, however, the impact attributed to body size in determining muscle strength or whether body size acts as a confounder in this relationship remains controversial. We investigated the association between absolute MS and MS normalized for body size with CMR in adolescents. This was a cross-sectional study comprising 351 adolescents (44.4% male; 16.6 ± 1.0 years) from Brazil. MS was assessed by handgrip and normalized for body weight, body mass index (BMI), height, and fat mass. CMR included obesity, high blood pressure, dyslipidemia, glucose imbalance, and high inflammation marker. When normalized for body weight, BMI, and fat mass, MS was inversely associated with the presence of two or more CMR among females. Absolute MS and MS normalized for height was directly associated with the presence of two or more CMR among males. This study suggests that MS normalized for body weight, BMI, and fat mass can be superior to absolute MS and MS normalized for height in representing lower CMR among females. Absolute MS and MS normalized for height were related to higher CMR among males.

Prevalence of physical activity among adolescents in southern Brazil.

OBJETIVE: The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of low physical activity levels and to identify related factors (sociodemographic, lifestyle and body weight status) in adolescents. METHODS: The study included 1103 students aged 14-19 years from city of São José/SC, Brazil. Physical activity was assessed using a questionnaire that classified adolescents into those who meet recommendations and those who do not meet recommendations. Independent variables were gender, age, monthly household income, maternal education, balanced diet, number of physical education classes, sleep/day, tobacco use, excessive alcohol use, screen time and weight status. Binary logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS: Prevalence of inadequate levels of physical activity was 77.2%. Older students and those with lower monthly family income were more likely to have inadequate levels of physical activity. Female adolescents and older students were more likely to be sufficiently active compared to male and younger adolescents. Adolescents who sleep more hours/day were more likely to be insufficiently active. CONCLUSION: Efforts to increase levels of physical activity should be focused on older adolescents and those with lower monthly family income.

Handgrip strength and associated sociodemographic and lifestyle factors: A systematic review of the adult population.

OBJETIVES: The aim of this study was to identify studies on handgrip strength (HGS) and associations with sociodemographic variables and lifestyle in adults. METHODS: Searches were performed in Scielo, PubMed, EBSCO, Lilacs, Scopus and Web of Science databases. DATA EXTRACTION: Two blinded reviewers independently screened the articles, scored their methodological quality and extracted data. QUALITY ASSESSMENT: The selected studies were analyzed according to the agreement of their findings with the evidence summary. RESULTS: Overall, 18,038 studies were found and 26 articles were selected. Lower HGS levels were found in older individuals (n = 20), females (n = 13) and in those not engaged in physical activities (n = 5). CONCLUSIONS: Older adults, females, those of lower educational level and not physically active had lower HGS levels. The adoption of standardization in relation to specific cutoff points for HGS classification becomes necessary in order to allow better comparison of results.