Teaching of health-related physical activity in medical schools: the Brazilian scenario / Ensino de atividade física relacionada à saúde nos cursos de medicina: O cenário brasileiro

Physical activity engagement is a key strategy to improve population health and quality of life. How-ever, studies show that physical activity counseling by physicians is low, and one of the main barriers reported is lack of specific knowledge. The aim of this study is to describe the existence of health-related physical activity content in the curricula of Brazilian Medicine undergraduate courses. A census-type descriptive study was carried out. Online documentation available in institutional websites of all Brazilian Medicine courses curricula were assessed and, when not available, faculty members were contacted. In 2015 we identified 233 medicine courses in Brazil, using data from the Brazilian Ministry of Education. We assessed the documentation in detail of 158 courses (67.8%). We ob-served that only 12% of curricula presented health-related physical activity and/or physical exercise contents. This proportion was higher in public Medical schools compared to private ones (21.5% vs. 5.4%; p = 0.002). Teaching of health-related physical activity in Brazilian Medicine courses is scarce. We highlight the need for adjustment of curricula considering the well-established benefits of physical activity for public health.

A prática de atividade física é uma estratégia fundamental para melhorar a saúde e a qualidade de vida populacional. No entanto, estudos mostram que o aconselhamento de atividade física por parte dos médicos é baixo e uma das principais barreiras relatadas é a falta de conhecimento específico. O objetivo deste estudo é descrever a existência de conteúdo de atividade física relacionada à saúde nos currículos dos cursos de graduação em Medicina no Brasil. Foi realizado um estudo descritivo do tipo censo, avaliando a documentação on-line disponível em sites institucionais de todos os currículos dos cursos de Medicina do país e quando esta documentação não estava disponível, foi feito contato com os coordenadores. Em 2015 foram identificados 233 cursos de medicina no Brasil, utilizando dados do Ministério da Educação do Brasil. Em 158 cursos (67,8%) foi possível avaliar a documentação em detalhes. Observamos que apenas 12% dos currículos apre-sentavam em seus currículos/disciplinas conteúdo sobre atividade física e/ou exercício físico relacionado à saúde. Essa proporção foi maior nas instituições públicas em comparação às escolas particulares de Medicina (21,5% vs. 5,4%; p = 0,002). O ensino de atividade física relacionada à saúde nos cursos de Medicina no Brasil é escasso. Destacamos a necessidade de ajuste curricular considerando os benefícios conhecidos da atividade física para a saúde pública.

The Murakami Cohort Study of vitamin D for the prevention of musculoskeletal and other age-related diseases: a study protocol

BACKGROUND@#Age-related musculoskeletal diseases are becoming increasingly burdensome in terms of both individual quality of life and medical cost. We intended to establish a large population-based cohort study to determine environmental, lifestyle, and genetic risk factors of musculoskeletal and other age-related diseases, and to clarify the association between vitamin D status and such diseases.@*METHODS@#We targeted 34,802 residents aged 40-74 years living in areas of northern Niigata Prefecture, including Sekikawa Village, Awashimaura Village, and Murakami City (Murakami region). The baseline questionnaire survey, conducted between 2011 and 2013, queried respondents on their lifestyle and environmental factors (predictors), and self-reported outcomes. Plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) concentration, an indicator of vitamin D status, was determined with the Liaison® 25OH Vitamin D Total Assay. The primary outcome of this study was osteoporotic fracture; other outcomes included age-related diseases including knee osteoarthritis, perception of chronic pain, dementia, and long-term care insurance use. Mean ages of men and women were 59.2 (SD = 9.3, N = 6907) and 59.0 (SD = 9.3, N = 7457) years, respectively. From the blood samples provided by 3710 men and 4787 women, mean 25(OH)D concentrations were 56.5 (SD = 18.4) nmol/L (22.6 ng/mL) and 45.4 (SD = 16.5) nmol/L (18.2 ng/mL), respectively.@*DISCUSSION@#Follow-up surveys are planned every 5 years for 15 years, and incident cases of our targeted diseases will be followed at hospitals and clinics in and nearby the cohort area. We anticipate that we will be able to clarify the association between vitamin D status and multiple disease outcomes in a Japanese population.