Knowledge of healthcare professionals about poliomyelitis and postpoliomyelitis: a cross-sectional study

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Postpoliomyelitis syndrome is a clinical condition that can affect poliomyelitis survivors. OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to evaluate knowledge of poliomyelitis and postpoliomyelitis syndrome among Brazilian healthcare professionals. DESIGN AND SETTING: Cross-sectional study conducted at a Brazilian public higher education institution located in the state of Goiás. METHODS: The participants (n = 578) were Brazilian physicians, physical therapists, nurses, nutritionists and psychologists. A self-administered questionnaire (30 questions) was designed to probe knowledge about poliomyelitis and postpoliomyelitis syndrome. From the questionnaire, we created a structured test to objectively evaluate the knowledge of these professionals. The test was composed of 20 questions and was scored over a range from 0 (totally ill-informed) to 20 (totally well-informed). RESULTS: In general, the physicians, physical therapists and nurses demonstrated better understanding of poliomyelitis and postpoliomyelitis syndrome. The healthcare professionals who had received previous information about poliomyelitis and postpoliomyelitis syndrome had significantly higher scores than those who had never received information (P < 0.001). On average, this difference was approximately 28.6%. CONCLUSIONS: The findings from the present study indicate that there is a critical need for improvement of knowledge about postpoliomyelitis syndrome among Brazilian healthcare professionals. The services provided by these professionals may therefore become compromised. Furthermore, public healthcare initiatives should be implemented to improve knowledge among healthcare professionals.

Physical activity combined with sedentary behaviour in the risk of mortality in older adults

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE To examine the effects of physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviour (SB), in isolation and combination, on all-cause mortality in older adults. METHODS Prospective, population-based cohort study. The data were collected from first wave in 2015 and the follow-up continued until 2020. The sample consisted of 332 older adult people aged ≥ 60 years-old, out of which 59 died. The level of PA and SB was assessed by the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). The older adults were divided into PA categorized as sufficiently active and insufficiently active and into high and low SB. We built four combinations of PA and SB. Also, we used the Cox proportional hazards regression with a 95% confidence interval with hazard ratio estimate so as to verify the mortality risks between PA, SB, and the combinations of PA and SB. RESULTS Insufficiently active individuals had higher risks of mortality compared to sufficiently active people. We observed no associations between SB and mortality separately; however, when evaluated in a combined way, insufficiently active individuals and with a high SB time had a higher chance of mortality compared to active individuals with a low SB time. CONCLUSION Our isolated analyses demonstrate that complying with PA recommendations reduces the risk of mortality; however, no association was found between the time of PA exposure with the time of SB. When analysing the combination, being physically inactive and with a long time of SB showed higher mortality rates, with SB being an enhancer of this risk. The results of this study show the interdependence of SB for PA performed at moderate to vigorous intensity. The understanding of this interrelation must be considered in the formulation of public health guidelines.

Análise de grupos de pesquisa em atividade física e envelhecimento no Brasil / Analyses of research groups in physical activity and aging in Brazil

Atividade física regular tem sido recomendada pelos estudiosos da área do envelhecimento devido aos seus benefícios à saúde.O objetivo desse estudo foi analisar e caracterizar os Grupos de Pesquisa em Atividade Física e Envelhecimento no Brasil, de acordo com a distribuição geográfica. Realizou-se busca sistemática no Diretório de Grupos de Pesquisa do Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico sobre a temática: Atividade Física e Envelhecimento. Os Grupos de Pesquisa em Atividade Física e Envelhecimento certificados estão distribuídos entre as regiões Sudeste (n=8), Sul (n=6) e Nordeste (n=4). Artigos publicados em periódicos representam 69,7% (n=639) da produção científica da região Sudeste, 65,0% (n=39) da região Sul e 64,9% (n=126) da região Nordeste. Observou-se um gradativo aumento no número de Grupos de Pesquisa em Atividade Física e Envelhecimento no Brasil, porém estes grupos ainda não estão distribuídos por todo país.

Regular physical activity has been recommended by experts in the field of aging because of its health benefits. The aim of this study was to analyze and characterize the research groups in physical activity and aging in Brazil, according to geographical distribution. A systematic search was conducted in the directory of research groups of the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development about the issue: “physical activity and aging”. The research groups in physical activity and aging in Brazil certificates are distributed in three regions of Brazil: Southeast (n = 8), South (n = 6) and Northeast (n = 4). Articles published in journals represent 69.7% (n = 639) of the scientific production of the Southeast region, 65.0% (n = 39) of the South region and 64.9% (n = 126) of the Northeast region. There was a gradual increase in the number of research groups in physical activity and aging in Brazil, but these groups are not distributed throughout the country.