Brazilian adults between 18 and 24 years old surveyed in 2023 constituted the largest group who exercised regularly. Over half of Brazilian respondents in that group reported to exercise at least *** minutes per week at a moderate pace or ** minutes per week at an intense pace.

According to a survey, there seems to be a correlation between the exercising habits and the education level of people in Brazil. In 2023, Brazilian respondents who had at least 12 years of formal education constituted the largest group of adults who were regularly physical active in their free time.

When asked how often they practiced physical activity frequently during their free time in 2023, **** percent of male Brazilian respondents answered positively. This figure was roughly ** percentage points higher than the share of physically active female respondents in the South American country.

Roughly ** percent of Brazilian respondents who had eight years or less of formal education reported to have been physically inactive in 2023. This share was over ** percent among respondents in the South American country with ** or more years of education.

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to synthesize and analyze scientific evidence of the perceived barriers to leisure-time physical activity (PA) in the Brazilian population. The Lilacs, SciELO, PubMed, ScienceDirect and Web of Science journal databases were reviewed and the number of reports of each barrier to PA, grouped according to the level of determinants of the social ecological model (intrapersonal, interpersonal and environmental) was analyzed. We found 25 studies (11 in adolescents, 8 in adults and 6 in older adults), totaling 62,678 reports of barriers to PA. The studies were conducted in the South (n=15), Southeast (n=7), and Northeast (n=2) regions, and one study also included different regions of Brazil. Overall, about seven out of every 10 reports on barriers to PA involved intrapersonal barriers. Adults and older adults had a higher proportion of reports of intrapersonal barriers (84.8% and 74%, respectively), than adolescents (47.8%). There are still few studies with older adults, children, and in populations of the Midwest and North of the country. The most frequently reported barriers to PA among adolescents were lack of company, lack of social support from family and friends, unsuitable climate and limited access to spaces for PA. Lack of motivation and lack of time were the most frequently reported barriers in adults, whereas in older adults the predominant barriers were lack of motivation and diagnosed disease or physical limitation. PA promotion programs need to take into account the different barriers to PA, since these are specific to age groups. Level of Evidence II; Systematic Review of Level II Studies.

The share of adult people who practiced moderate physical activity during their free time for at least *** minutes per week in Brazil amounted to **** percent in 2023. At the beginning of the past decade, this share was at **** percent.

Abstract: The study aimed to analyze the association between accessibility to public spaces for leisure activities, availability of equipment for physical exercise in these spaces, and leisure-time physical activity (PA) in adults. A household survey was conducted with 699 adults from 32 census tracts selected according to income and “walkability”. Accessibility to public spaces for leisure activities was determined by geoprocessing according to proximity to public spaces for leisure activities and the amount of such spaces within radiuses of 500 and 1,000 meters around the participants’ homes. Presence of equipment for physical exercise in these public spaces was assessed by the observation method and classified as: (a) without equipment for physical exercise; (b) with equipment for physical exercise; (c) equipment for physical exercise for adults; and (d) with three or more pieces of equipment for physical exercise. PA was self-reported, and walking was analyzed separately from moderate-vigorous PA, classified in two levels (≥ 10 minutes/week and ≥ 150 minutes/week). The amount of public spaces for leisure activities in a 500-meter radius with one or more pieces of equipment for physical exercise was negatively associated with walking (OR = 0.84, based on ≥ 150 minutes/week). The amount of public spaces for leisure activities in a 1,000-meter radius was positively associated with moderate-vigorous PA (OR = 1.03). The distance to a public space for leisure activities with three or more pieces of equipment for physical exercise (OR = 0.95) was inversely associated with moderate-vigorous PA. Proximity and amount of public spaces for leisure activities are associated with higher levels of moderate-vigorous PA in adults. The combination of methods can help reveal the contribution that access to (and quality of) public spaces for leisure activities can make to PA.

When asked how often they practiced any physical activity, OVER ** percent of respondents aged 65 years or more said they have not practiced any physical activity in the past three months in Brazil. Across all categories on average, **** percent of the people surveyed replied similarly.

Abstract This study aimed to identify the sociodemographic and lifestyle factors associated with magnesium intake and describe the main food sources in the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brazil). This observational, cross-sectional study was conducted using the baseline data from the ELSA-Brazil (2008-2010). Associations between usual magnesium intake and sociodemographic and lifestyle factors were analyzed using multiple linear regression. Food sources were identified by calculating the percentage contribution of each FFQ item to the amount of magnesium provided by all foods. The analysis was performed using Stata® software (version 12), assuming a statistical significance level of 5%. The top food sources to magnesium intake were as follows: beans, oats, nuts, white rice, orange, French bread, cooked fish, boneless meat, whole milk, and whole wheat bread. There were positive associations between magnesium intake and female sex; age ≥60 years; self-reported black, indigenous, or brown skin colors; per capita income ≥3 minimum wages, and moderate or vigorous physical activity levels. Sociodemographic and lifestyle factors were associated with magnesium intake among the evaluated individuals.

Abstract This article aims to describe the reasons for sport participation in the Brazilian adult population according to gender, age and schooling level. This is a cross-sectional study with data from a National Household Sample Survey - 2015. The reasons to practice or not practice sports in the previous year were obtained by questionnaire with predetermined answer options. All analyses were performed in Stata 12.1 and stratified by gender. The prevalence of sports participation for men and women were 31.7% and 16.9%, respectively. The most frequent reasons for sports participation among men were: having fun, quality of life and performance. Among women, the most frequent reasons were: quality of life, performance and medical recommendation. Regarding reasons for not practicing sports, the most reported ones were: lack of time (38.8% for men and 37.8% for women), not enjoying (34.8% for men and 35.3% for women) and health problem (20.3% for men and 17.9% for women). The study findings showed the most frequent reasons for sport participation in Brazil. Understanding these reasons and how they affect different age ranges and educational levels may contribute to improve strategic planning to promote sports in middle-income countries.

IntroductionMultimorbidity, defined as the coexistence of two or more chronic diseases in the same individual, represents a significant health challenge. However, there is limited evidence on its prevalence and associated factors in developing countries, such as Brazil, especially stratified by sex. Thus, this study aims to estimate the prevalence and analyze the factors associated with multimorbidity in Brazilian adults according to sex.MethodsCross-sectional population-based household survey carried out with Brazilian adults aged 18 years or older. The sampling strategy consisted of a three-stage conglomerate plan. The three stages were performed through simple random sampling. Data were collected through individual interviews. Multimorbidity was classified based on a list of 14 self-reported chronic diseases/conditions. Poisson regression analysis was performed to estimate the magnitude of the association between sociodemographic and lifestyle factors with the prevalence of multimorbidity stratified by sex.ResultsA total of 88,531 individuals were included. In absolute terms, the prevalence of multimorbidity was 29.4%. The frequency in men and women was 22.7 and 35.4%, respectively. Overall, multimorbidity was more prevalent among women, the older people, residents of the South and Southeast regions, urban area residents, former smokers, current smokers, physically inactive, overweight, and obese adults. Individuals with complete high school/incomplete higher education had a lower prevalence of multimorbidity than those with higher educational level. The associations between education and multimorbidity differed between sexes. In men, multimorbidity was inversely associated with the strata of complete middle school/incomplete high school and complete high school/incomplete higher education, while in women, the association between these variables was not observed. Physical inactivity was positively associated with a higher prevalence of multimorbidity only in men. An inverse association was verified between the recommended fruit and vegetable consumption and multimorbidity for the total sample and both sexes.ConclusionOne in four adults had multimorbidity. Prevalence increased with increasing age, among women, and was associated with some lifestyles. Multimorbidity was significantly associated with educational level and physical inactivity only in men. The results suggest the need to adopt integrated strategies to reduce the magnitude of multimorbidity, specific by gender, including actions for health promotion, disease prevention, health surveillance and comprehensive health care in Brazil.

When asked how often they practiced physical activity in 2023, roughly 14 percent of male Brazilian respondents answered that they have not practiced any of this type of activities in the past three months. This figure was slightly higher than that of female respondents who answered the same question.

IntroductionIn 2015, the WHO introduced intrinsic capacity (IC) as a health indicator with five domains to promote healthy aging. Multicomponent exercise programs are recommended to enhance IC, but research in Brazil on their comprehensive impact is limited. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of such a program on IC, functional, and psychosocial aspects in older adults.MethodsThis pre- and post-study assessed older adults in Brazil enrolled in a multicomponent training program, evaluating IC as the main outcome using specific tests for each domain. Inclusion criteria were: aged 60+, completing assessments in five domains, attending the program at least twice a week, and participating in two exercise modalities per session for 90 min. Exclusion criteria included: history of stroke, Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s, recent hand, hip, or knee surgery, or absence for more than 15 consecutive days. A total of 43 older adults were evaluated, and the score was calculated by summing the results of the five domains, yielding a total score ranging from 0 to 10 points. Subsequently, participants underwent a 12-week intervention involving multicomponent exercises and were reassessed.ResultsAfter 12 weeks of intervention, there was a significant reduction in the proportion of participants with low IC, from 7.0% to 0.0%, and an increase in those with high IC, from 4.7% to 20.0% (p = 0.018). Improvements were seen in cognitive aspects, locomotor dimension (p < 0.001), vitality (p = 0.045) and functional classification (p < 0.001), with the greatest effect in the locomotor domain (es = 1.12). Significant gains were also observed in perceived health, quality of life, and physical activity (p < 0.002; p < 0.004; p < 0.001). Body composition showed improvements, including reduced body fat percentage, increased muscle mass, and better fat classification (p < 0.001), along with reductions in waist and abdominal circumferences (p < 0.001; p = 0.001).ConclusionThe multicomponent exercise program demonstrated a positive influence on composite IC, including functional and psychosocial aspects. These findings highlight the critical role of tailored and supervised exercise interventions in enhancing both physical and psychosocial dimensions of health, contributing to healthier aging trajectories.

Abstract Physical activity comprises four domains (leisure, transportation, domestic, and work activities) that may be differently associated with oral health. The aim of this study was to assess the association between each physical activity domain and oral health conditions in Brazilian adults. A total of 38,539 participants in the 2019 Brazilian Health Survey aged 30 years or older were analyzed. The outcomes were self-perceived oral health (dichotomous) and self-reported number of missing teeth (counts). The presence, frequency, and time of activity in each domain and their combination were analyzed as main exposures. Odds ratios (OR) and mean ratios (MR) were estimated by fitting multivariable models. Higher leisure time physical activity was the only domain associated with better self-perception of oral health (OR = 1.32; 95%CI 1.26–1.38) and lower tooth loss (MR=0.88; 95%CI 0.86–0.90). Higher levels of work, transportation, and household activities were significantly associated with worse self-perception of oral health, while higher levels of work– and transportation–related physical activities were also associated with greater tooth loss. When the total recommended weekly physical activity time was analyzed, no significant associations were found. Sensitivity analysis suggested that this pattern persists in potential periodontitis–related cases, such as when selecting older age or excluding individuals with no tooth loss. In conclusion, leisure physical activity was the only domain with the potential of reflecting the benefits of physical activity on oral health. The inclusion of other domains can confound this association.

ABSTRACT Objective Neck circumference is a simple anthropometric measurement that may be linked to chronic diseases, physical activity, and muscle strength. We sought to verify the association of moderate and vigorous physical activity levels and relative muscle strength with neck circumference in a community in southern Brazil. Methods We cross-sectionally analyzed data from 2,488 participants (51% women), aged 20-79 years old from the Study of Health in Pomerode (SHIP-Brazil) conducted in Pomerode, Santa Catarina, Brazil. Increased neck circumference was defined with cutoff points of >39cm for men and >35cm for women. The independent variables were the level of moderate and vigorous physical activity using the short International Physical Activity Questionnaire, and relative muscle strength using the handgrip test and body mass. Univariate and multiple Poisson regression models were used to determine the association between variables (p≤0.05). Results The prevalence of increased neck circumference was 48.2% (60.4% in men, 39.6% in women) and was associated with low relative muscle strength (PR=1.26, 95%CI: 1.17-1.35) in men, insufficient moderate and vigorous physical activity levels (PR=1.23, 95%CI: 1.14-1.32), and relative muscle strength (PR=1.73, 95%CI: 1.61-1.87) in women. After adjusting for covariates, no significant associations were observed between insufficient moderate and vigorous physical activity levels in men (PR=1.02, 95%CI: 0.95-1.07). Conclusion Increased neck circumference seems to be an important predictor of low moderate and vigorous physical activity and relative strength loss in adults, and more pronounced in women.

Between 2001 and 2016, nearly five out of ten people in Brazil and Costa Rica did not exercise sufficiently to maintain a good health, according to a study. In contrast, less than 30 percent of the population in Ecuador, Chile, and Uruguay did not exercise sufficiently in the period. In 2019, around 39 percent of adults in Brazil exercised moderately for at least 150 minutes per week.

Pelotas/RS-Brazil, 2012.*Chi-square test of heterogeneity.#Score combined with the five previous variables.Sample description and the prevalence of physical activity according to the variables related to perceived safety from crime.

Abstract Introduction Low-level physical activity and sedentary behavior are factors that can impact the fear of falling and risk of falls in older adults. Objective This study aimed to determine whether the duration and frequency of physical activity and sedentary behavior predict the fear of falling and risk of sarcopenia in older people. Methods This was a cross-sectional study with 116 older individuals from southern and southeastern Brazil. A sociodemographic and health questionnaire, the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ – short version), the Falls Efficacy Scale – International (FES-I), and the SARC-f were used. Data were analyzed by bootstrapping procedures, Pearson's correlation, and regression analysis (p < 0.05). Results Walking days (β = -0.38; p < 0.001) and moderate activity days (β = -0.23; p < 0.001) showed a negative prediction of fear of falling. Walking days also had a significant and negative prediction of the risk of sarcopenia (β = -0.34; p < 0.001). Conclusion We conclude that weekly walking and the practice of moderate-intensity physical activity negatively predict the fear of falling in older adults. Weekly walking also negatively predicts the risk of having sarcopenia. Sedentary behavior was not a predictor of fear of falling and risk of sarcopenia.

Current (2018) and future (2030) federal direct healthcare costs (US$ Million) of cancer attributable to insufficient leisure-time physical activity in Brazil.

Abstract The aim of the study was to identify interactions between gender and education on the prevalence of physical inactivity in different domains (commuting, household, leisure and work) among adults of Florianopolis, Brazil. Data were collected from September/2009 to January/2010 with individuals 20-59 years old. This was a cross-sectional population-based study, and physical inactivity in each domain was defined as non-participation in specific physical activities, using a validated Brazilian questionnaire administered by face to face interviews. We interviewed 1720 adults. In men, the prevalence of physical inactivity was higher than among women in commuting (56.9% versus 44.5%; p < 0.001, respectively) and at home (79.0% versus 40.4%; p < 0.001, respectively). In leisure, physical inactivity was higher among women (58.1% versus 45.5%; p < 0.001). Interactions between gender and education were statistically significant in commuting (p = 0.004), household (p < 0.001) and leisure (p = 0.04). Men were more inactive than women from five to eight years of schooling. Household physical inactivity was higher among men at all levels of education, with a reduction in the magnitude of the percentage differences between the genders, with increasing of education. In leisure, women were more inactive than men since nine years of study. Different interactions between gender and schooling were observed according to the patterns of physical inactivity in different domains.