What are the correlates of intention to be physically active in Brazilian adolescents? A network analysis.

OBJECTIVE: The current study aimed to explore the association of individual characteristics, social and environmental factors - school and region - in the intention to be physically active in Brazilian adolescents. METHODS: This is a cross sectional study based on the third edition of the National School Health Survey. The study included a total of 53,937 adolescents. To assess the intention to be physically active, only who engaged in less than 300 min of physical activity per week were included. Participants were asked: "If you had the opportunity to practice physical activity most days of the week, what would your attitude be?" Individual characteristics, physical activity domains, social factors, school, and regional environments were used as exposures. Network analysis was utilized to evaluate the associations. RESULTS: We observed that boys had higher intentions to be physically active compared to their peers, as did adolescents who perceived themselves as fat. In addition, students from private schools show a higher intention to regularly engage in physical activities, and in general, private schools offer more extracurricular physical activities. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, individual factors such as sex and body image perception, and environmental factors such as school administrative dependency and availability of extracurricular activities had a significant contribution to the intention to be physically active among Brazilian adolescents.

Classification of the Effort Index and Biomechanical Overload in Natural Trails of UNESCO Global Geoparks-A Network Perspective of Trails of the Araripe UGG (NE Brazil).

Natural trails in UNESCO Global Geopark territories show strong salutogenic, inclusive and interactive characteristics as potentials and opportunities for ecosystem health. It is essential to provide information to inform the hiker as to the characteristics of the environment and the attractions and challenges of the route. Based on a network analysis methodology we aimed to identify the indicators of centrality and strength of connection in order to classify the effort index and biomechanical overload of the Araripe UNESCO Global Geopark trails in Brazil. The results showed strong connection and centrality of the variables related to the biomechanical overload in the effort index. In the trail of Pontal de Cruz the altimetric variation and the surface of the ground are highlighted in the biomechanical overload that presented a horizontal course equivalent 2.6 times larger than the presented distance. In Sítio Fundão trail, the surface of the ground also stood out, increasing the exposure in 36% of the presented distance. On the Missão Velha Waterfall trail, the variable that stood out was the biomechanical overload on the knee, equivalent to a horizontal increase of 28% of the measured distance. The methodology presented sought to optimise the mapping, management and consolidation of a network of natural trails aggregated to a high geotouristic, scientific, educational, cultural and well-being potential as presented in the Araripe UGG territory.

Sociodemographic, Behavioral and Oral Health Factors in Maternal and Child Health: An Interventional and Associative Study from the Network Perspective.

Oral healthcare during pregnancy needs to be part of the assistance routine given to pregnant women by health professionals as a way to encourage self-care and strengthen the general health of the mother and the baby. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an integrated oral healthcare intervention for pregnant women and to analyze the association of sociodemographic, behavioral, oral health and general maternal and child health factors in prenatal care at usual risk in primary care in a city in the northeast of Brazil, in 2018-2019. A controlled, randomized, single-blinded community trial was conducted. The intervention group (IG) received dental assistance and collective health education actions in conversation circles, while the control group (CG) received the usual assistance. All pregnant women (146 in total, 58 from IG and 88 from CG) that took part in the trial answered a questionnaire and underwent a dental examination at the beginning of prenatal care and at the puerperal visit. To assess the effect of the intervention, a network analysis was used. The results have shown that being in the control group was associated with neonatal complications (0.89) and prematurity (0.54); the use of tobacco and alcohol are associated with high risk in initial and final oral health; lower educational level of the pregnant women implicates high risk for initial oral health (-0.19), final oral health (-0.26), pregnancy complications (-0.13), low birth weight (-0.23), prematurity (-0.19) and complications in the newborn (-0.14). Having a low family income (≤261.36 USD) has shown a high risk for initial oral health (-0.14), final oral health (-0.20) and prematurity (-0.15). The intervention based on integrated oral healthcare for pregnant women indicated that socioeconomic and behavioral factors must be considered as determinants for the quality of women and children's health and that multi-professional performance during prenatal care contributes to the positive outcomes of pregnancy.

The development of a short form of the Test of Gross Motor Development-2 in Brazilian children: Validity and reliability.

BACKGROUND: Assessing children's motor skills is important for identifying children with delays, measuring learning, and determining teaching effectiveness. One popular assessment for measuring fundamental motor skills in children is the Test of Gross Motor Development-2 (TGMD-2). Although the TGMD-2 long form is widely known, a short form of the TGMD-2 has not been yet proposed and investigated. The aim of this study was to develop a short form of the TGMD-2 and to examine its validity, interrater reliability and test-retest reliability. METHOD: Data from 2,463 Brazilian children were analyzed. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis was used to investigate the validity of reducing the number of TGMD-2 skills. RESULTS: The short-form version of the TGMD-2 with six skills has appropriate indices of confirmatory factorial validity (root mean square error of approximation: 0.06, 90% confidence interval [0.06, 0.07]; comparative fit index: 0.94; normed fit index: 0.94: Tucker-Lewis index: 0.83; goodness-of-fit index: 0.98; adjusted goodness-of-fit index: 0.95), internal consistency (α = 0.70 for the overall test), interrater and intrarater reliability (intraclass correlation coefficients values from 0.81 to 0.96) and test-retest reliability (r values from 0.55 to 0.95). CONCLUSIONS: From these findings, practitioners now have a valid and reliable, short form of the TGMD-2 for use in assessing children's motor skill competence; promoting wider use of the test for screening and pedagogical purposes.