Investigating academic performance and perceptions of human physiology and exercise physiology courses among undergraduate students of physical education at a Brazilian public university.

PURPOSE: To compare the academic performance of undergraduate students in physical education who studied exercise physiology before and after studying human physiology and investigate students' perceptions of human physiology and exercise physiology courses. METHODS: This study included 311 undergraduate students pursuing a bachelor's degree in physical education. Participants were divided into two groups: those who had previously attended and completed the human physiology course (group 1, n = 212, 68.2%) and those who had not previously attended or had attended but failed the human physiology course (group 2, n = 99, 31.8%). The prevalence ratio (PR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were calculated using a Poisson regression model with a robust variance estimator. The second aim comprised 67 students with bachelor's degrees in physical education who completed an electronic questionnaire about their perceptions of human physiology and exercise physiology curriculum. RESULTS: Compared with those who attended human physiology and passed, those who had not previously attended or had attended but failed the human physiology course have a higher PR of 2.37 (95% CI, 1.68-3.34) for failing exercise physiology. Regarding the students' perceptions of human physiology and exercise physiology courses, most students reported that they were challenging (58.2% and 64.2%, respectively), but they also recognized the importance of these courses for professional practice (59.7% and 85.1%, respectively). CONCLUSION: Human physiology should be considered a prerequisite for an undergraduate course leading to a bachelor's degree in physical education. Furthermore, students considered human physiology and exercise physiology courses important yet challenging. Therefore, continuous student assessment is vital for improving the teaching-learning process.

The burden of prolonged sedentary behavior imposed by uberization.

Mobility applications are rapidly growing in cities worldwide due to their convenience and low cost. Mobility applications drivers experience vast flexibility in work hours, often work longer than in fixed-hours jobs, and can constantly transport passengers in their vehicles for up to 12 h; after this, they must go offline for eight consecutive hours before driving again. Nonetheless, drivers have found an easy way around this limitation by switching to other apps and continuing driving. This burden of prolonged work can increase sedentary behavior among mobility applications drivers. Sedentary behavior is any waking activity in which the individual expends 1.5 metabolic equivalents (METs) or less while sitting or reclining. This behavior can increase the risk of detrimental effects on health. In this opinion article, we aim to discuss the possible effects of the burden of prolonged work on the sedentary behavior of mobility applications drivers and propose possible strategies to face this concerning situation.

Effects of relocation of sedentary time and physical activity in older adults with diabetes mellitus.

Objective: To estimate the hypothetical effects of substituting time spent in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and time spent in sedentary behavior (SB) and their associations with diabetes. Methods: A cross-sectional study using exploratory survey methods was performed in Alcobaça city in the state of Bahia, Brazil in the year 2015. A total of 473 older adults (aged ≥60 years) participated in the study. Diabetes mellitus, time MVPA, and SB were assessed in a self-reported manner. The Poisson regression was used to verify the hypothetical effects of the substitution of MVPA with SB on diabetes. Results: The substitution of the time in MVPA with time in SB showed higher prevalence ratios of diabetes. Conversely, the substitution of the time in SB proved to be a protective factor, with risks reduced by between 4% and 19%. Discussion: The substitution of the time spent in MVPA with the same amount of time spent on SB can lead to an increase in the probability of diabetes, and a longer reallocation time corresponded to a greater risk.

Prevalence of fear of COVID-19, depression, and anxiety among undergraduate students during remote classes.

BACKGROUND: During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, undergraduate students were exposed to symptoms of psychological suffering during remote classes. Therefore, it is important to investigate the factors that may be generated and be related to such outcomes. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between fear of COVID-19, depression, anxiety, and related factors in undergraduate students during remote classes. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 218 undergraduate students (60.6% women and 39.4% men). Students answered a self-administered online questionnaire designed to gather personal information, pandemic exposure, physical activity level, fear of COVID-19 using the 'Fear of COVID-19 Scale', symptoms of depression using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, and anxiety using General Anxiety Disorder-7. RESULTS: Undergraduate students had a high prevalence of depression and anxiety (83.0% and 76.1%, respectively) but a low prevalence of fear of COVID-19 (28.9%) during remote classes. Multivariate analysis revealed that women who reported health status as neither good nor bad and who had lost a family member from COVID-19 had the highest levels of fear. For depression and anxiety, the main related factors found were female gender, bad health status, insufficiently active, and complete adherence to the restriction measures. CONCLUSION: These findings may be used to develop actions to manage symptoms of anxiety and depression among students, with interventions through physical activity programmes to improve mental health.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

Prevalence and Factors Associated with High Concentration of Prostate-Specific Antigen: ELSIA Study.

BACKGROUND: Prostate cancer (PC) is the second most common cancer among men, behind only non-melanoma skin cancer, and the main method of screening for PC is the prostate-specific antigen (PSA). To analyze the prevalence and the factors associated with high concentration of PSA in the elderly is essential to understand this outcome, and building strategies to decrease their rates of morbidity and mortality. METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional study with 96 elderly men. A high level of PSA was defined by >4.0 ng/mL. In order to identify sociodemographic, health, functional and behavioral variables, which may be associated with high levels of PSA, we carried out a multivariate analysis using Poisson regression. RESULTS: The prevalence of high levels of PSA was 21.9% (n = 21). High levels of PSA was associated with years of study, race/ethnicity and family arrangement, health perception, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, metabolic diseases, alcohol consumption and sedentary behavior. CONCLUSIONS: The study found a high prevalence of high PSA concentrations in the elderly and several aspects are associated, which can be a worrying factor for their health, since PSA is an important marker of prostate cancer.

Interval Training Improves Depressive Symptoms But Not Anxious Symptoms in Healthy Women.

Background: Despite important advances in the relationship between exercise and mood disorders, especially regarding moderate-intensity continuous training, there is a lack of information about the chronic effects of interval training protocols. We compared the effects of two different interval training protocols [sprint interval training (SIT) and high-intensity interval training (HIIT)] on depressive and anxious symptoms in healthy women. Methods: Thirty-six women were randomly allocated to HIIT (n = 18) or SIT (n = 18) groups and performed 24 training sessions over 8 weeks (thrice a week). Levels of state-trait anxiety and depressive symptoms were evaluated using State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and Beck Depression Inventory, respectively, before and after training intervention. Results: Two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) did not reveal a significant effect of time (p > 0.05), group intervention (p > 0.05), or time × group interaction (p > 0.05) on state-trait anxiety; however, two-way ANOVA showed a significant effect of time on depressive symptoms (p = 0.025) but not group effect (p = 0.548) or time × group interaction (p = 0.373). Depressive symptoms of the participants in both HIIT and SIT groups were reduced from baseline, (ΔHIIT) -17.5 ± 27.9% and (ΔSIT) -28.6 ± 47.5%, respectively. Conclusion: HIIT and SIT groups similarly improved depressive symptoms but not anxiety levels in healthy and physically active young adult women.

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. (AU)

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. (AU)

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.