7 research outputs found
Association between the perceived environment and overweight in adults and elderly: a cross-sectional study
Abstract
Background
Overweight is a global issue of epidemic proportions, and its negative influence on individual health is clear. However, the relation between environment and overweight is not thoroughly clear, especially concerning to the perceived environment and the physical and social aspects. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze potential associations between the perceived environment and overweight in adults and elderly in a medium-sized city.
Methods
A cross-sectional population-based study was conducted with 808 adult and elderly individuals. Overweight was defined as body mass index ≥25 kg/m2 based on the World Health Organization criteria. The Neighborhood Environment Walkability Scale was used evaluating the perceived environment. Poisson regression was performed evaluating the relationships between the perceived environment and overweight.
Results
The frequency of overweight was 50.4 %. Adjusted models showed association between overweight and the variable of surrounding neighborhood as follows: “1- to 3-story apartments or condos” (most category; PR = 0.30; CI 0.12–0.76) and “4- to 6-story apartments or condos” (all categories) (PR ranged 0.40 to 0.46; p < 0.05), and also, “land-use mix-diversity” was associated with overweight in this population (PR 0.81; CI 0.66–0.99).
Conclusions
In addition to individual characteristics, the environmental aspects are relevant to the occurrence of overweight in this population. Population-based studies using primary data on overweight remain scarce in Brazil. Finally, this study contributes to improve the understanding of the complex relationship between perceived environment and overweight, and we believe that our findings provide further justification for the development of future interventions and health promotion strategies.
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O rural industrializado : estrutura demográfica e envelhecimento biológico da população de Estarreja
Tese de doutoramento em Antropologia (Antropologia BiolĂłgica) apresentada Ă Fac.de CiĂŞncias e Tecnologia da Universidade de Coimbr
Multiple risk behaviors for non-communicable diseases and associated factors in adolescents
Objective: To estimate the prevalence of risk behaviors for non-communicable diseases and analyze their associated factors in adolescents. Methods: A school-based cross-sectional study was conducted in 2008 with 1,139 adolescents aged 14 to 19 years attending public and private high schools in Cuiabá, Midwestern Brazil. Data were collected using a selfadministered questionnaire, including a semiquantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire. The prevalence of tobacco smoking, alcohol experimentation, physical inactivity, unsatisfactory meal pattern, and excessive intake of saturated fat and sodium were evaluated. The associations between risk behaviors and socioeconomic variables, weight status, and self-perceived health status were evaluated. Results: The most common risk behaviors were excessive sodium intake (88%), unsatisfactory meal pattern (72%), excessive intake of saturated fat (39%), and alcohol experimentation (39%). Four of 10 adolescents were exposed to two risk behaviors simultaneously. Among male adolescents, the main factors associated with risk behaviors were: type of school, class schedule, education level of the household head, weight status, and self-perceived health status. Among female adolescents, age, type of school, class schedule, and education level of the household head were the main factors associated with risk behaviors. Conclusion: The prevalence of exposure to risk behaviors for non-communicable diseases was high, highlighting the simultaneous presence of tobacco smoking and experimentation of alcoholic beverages. Special attention should be given to educational activities to minimize the effects of the simultaneous occurrence of multiple risk behaviors
Geographic and socioeconomic distribution of food vendors: a case study of a municipality in the Southern Brazil
The objective of this study was to identify the food vendor distribution profile of the city of FlorianĂłpolis, Santa Catarina State, Brazil, and investigate its association with the socioeconomic and demographic characteristics of different municipal regions. This descriptive, cross-sectional study obtained the location of food vendors from secondary data from different institutional sources. The density of different types of food vendors per 1,000 inhabitants in each municipal weighted area was calculated. The Kruskal-Wallis test compared the mean density of food vendors and the weighted income areas. The lowest-income regions had the lowest density of butchers, snack bars, supermarkets, bakeries/pastry shops, natural product stores, juice bars, and convenience stores. The identification of these areas may encourage the creation of public policies that facilitate healthy food startups and/or maintenance of healthy food vendors, especially in the lowest-income regions
Geographic and socioeconomic distribution of food vendors: a case study of a municipality in the Southern Brazil
Abstract: The objective of this study was to identify the food vendor distribution profile of the city of FlorianĂłpolis, Santa Catarina State, Brazil, and investigate its association with the socioeconomic and demographic characteristics of different municipal regions. This descriptive, cross-sectional study obtained the location of food vendors from secondary data from different institutional sources. The density of different types of food vendors per 1,000 inhabitants in each municipal weighted area was calculated. The Kruskal-Wallis test compared the mean density of food vendors and the weighted income areas. The lowest-income regions had the lowest density of butchers, snack bars, supermarkets, bakeries/pastry shops, natural product stores, juice bars, and convenience stores. The identification of these areas may encourage the creation of public policies that facilitate healthy food startups and/or maintenance of healthy food vendors, especially in the lowest-income regions
Ambiente construido y ambiente social: asociaciones con el exceso de peso en adultos
The aim of this study was to assess associations
between the built environment and social environment
and excess weight in an urban population.
Participants were selected from the Surveillance
System for Risk Factors for Chronic Diseases
(VIGITEL). The study used data from the city of
Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. A total
of 3,425 interviews from the years 2008 and 2009
were used. Georeferenced data on parks, squares,
and locations for physical exercise, population
density, and food stores were used to assess the
built environment. Description of the social environment
used income and homicide rate for
the neighborhood. Environmental variables associated
independently with excess weight were
population density, presence of parks, squares,
and locations for physical exercise, and self-reported
presence of locations for physical exercise.
The findings show that residential neighborhood
characteristics are associated with excess weight
in urban adults.
Os participantes foram selecionados com
base no Sistema de Vigilância de Fatores de Risco
para Doenças Crônicas (VIGITEL). O trabalho
foi realizado com dados da cidade de Belo Horizonte,
Minas Gerais, Brasil. Foram utilizadas
3.425 entrevistas referentes aos anos de 2008 e
2009. Informações georreferenciadas de parques,
praças, lugares para a prática de atividade fĂsica,
densidade populacional e estabelecimentos
alimentares foram usadas para avaliar o ambiente
construĂdo. Para caracterizar o ambiente
social foi utilizada renda e taxa de homicĂdio da
vizinhança. As variáveis ambientais associadas
independentemente com excesso de peso foram
densidade populacional, presença de parques,
praças e locais para a prática de atividade fĂsica
e o autorrelato de locais para a prática de atividade
fĂsica. As evidĂŞncias deste estudo mostram
que as caracterĂsticas das vizinhanças onde as
pessoas residem estĂŁo associadas ao excesso de
peso de adultos do meio urbano.O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar as associações
das variáveis do ambiente construĂdo e social
com o excesso de peso em uma população urbana.
Os participantes foram selecionados com
base no Sistema de Vigilância de Fatores de Risco
para Doenças Crônicas (VIGITEL). O trabalho
foi realizado com dados da cidade de Belo Horizonte,
Minas Gerais, Brasil. Foram utilizadas
3.425 entrevistas referentes aos anos de 2008 e
2009. Informações georreferenciadas de parques,
praças, lugares para a prática de atividade fĂsica,
densidade populacional e estabelecimentos
alimentares foram usadas para avaliar o ambiente
construĂdo. Para caracterizar o ambiente
social foi utilizada renda e taxa de homicĂdio da
vizinhança. As variáveis ambientais associadas
independentemente com excesso de peso foram
densidade populacional, presença de parques,
praças e locais para a prática de atividade fĂsica
e o autorrelato de locais para a prática de atividade
fĂsica. As evidĂŞncias deste estudo mostram
que as caracterĂsticas das vizinhanças onde as
pessoas residem estĂŁo associadas ao excesso de
peso de adultos do meio urbano.The authors wish to thank FAPEMIG, CNPq, and the
Brazilian Ministry of Health for funding the research
project