Stages of behavior change and perceived barriers to physical activity in the elderly living in a medium size city in Brazil

The aim was to analyze the prevalence of the stages of behavior change (BCS) and the perceived barriers to physical activity in older people residents in a medium size city of São Paulo state, Brazil. Seventy-nine older people participated of the study. The BCS was assessed by the Questionnaire of Behavior Chance Stages and those on perception of barriers by the Questionnaire on Barriers to the Practice of Physical Activity in Older People (QBPPAE). Statistical analyses was comprised by the Chi-square test (p<0.05). Data showed that: a) 64,6% of the older people do not practice physical activity and only 22,8% of them have been practicing it on a regular basis for more than 6 months; b) The most perceived barriers were: "Active enough", "Too old"; "Need to rest" and; "Disease or injury"; c) The BCS seems modulate significantly the perception of barriers (p<0.05). We can conclude that: a) most of the older people are in the pre-contemplation, contemplation and preparation stages of the BCS, yet; b) gender influences almost nothing with perception of barriers and; c) the BCS interferes with the type of perceived barriers. Such conclusions support the suggestions that it is necessary to develop specific strategies for different stages of behavior change if it is to minimize the barriers. This may help to find the most effective way to change to more active lifestyle in the elderly.

Physical activity and postural control in the elderly: Coupling between visual information and body sway

Background: Aging is characterized by a decline in the postural control performance, which is based on a coherent and stable coupling between sensory information and motor action. Therefore, changes in postural control in elderlies can be related to changes in this coupling. In addition, it has been observed that physical activity seems to improve postural control performance in elderlies. These improvements can be due to changes in the coupling between sensory information and motor action related to postural control. Objective: the purpose of this study was to verify the coupling between visual information and body sway in active and sedentary elderlies. Methods: Sixteen sedentary elderlies ( SE), 16 active elderlies ( AE) and 16 young adults ( YA) were asked to stand upright inside a moving room in two experimental conditions: ( 1) discrete movement and ( 2) continuous movement of the room. Results: In the continuous condition, the results showed that the coupling between the movement of the room and body sway was stronger and more stable for SE and AE compared to YA. In the discrete condition, SE showed larger body displacement compared to AE and YA. Conclusions: SE have more difficulty to discriminate and to integrate sensory information than AE and YA indicating that physical activity may improve sensory integration. Copyright (C) 2005 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Developing a research agenda for promoting physical activity in Brazil through environmental and policy change

Objective. To identify the highest priorities for research on environmental and policy changes for promoting physical activity (PA) in Brazil; to uncover any gaps between researchers' and practitioners' priorities; and to consider which tools, methods, collaborative strategies, and actions could be useful to moving a research agenda forward.Methods. This was a mixed-methods study (qualitative and quantitative) conducted by Project GUIA (Guide for Useful Interventions for Activity in Brazil and Latin America) in February 2010-January 2011. A total of 240 individuals in the PA field (186 practitioners and 54 researchers) were asked to generate research ideas; 82 participants provided 266 original statements from which 52 topics emerged. Participants rated topics by "importance" and "feasibility;" a separate convenience sample of 21 individuals categorized them. Cluster analysis and multidimensional scaling were used to create concept maps and pattern matches.Results. Five distinct clusters emerged from the concept mapping, of which " effectiveness and innovation in PA interventions" was rated most important by both practitioners and researchers. Pattern matching showed a divergence between the groups, especially regarding feasibility, where there was no consensus.Conclusions. The study results provided the basis for a research agenda to advance the understanding of environmental and policy influences on PA promotion in Brazil and Latin America. These results should stimulate future research and, ultimately, contribute to the evidence-base of successful PA strategies in Latin America.

Short-Term Effects of Using Pedometers to Increase Daily Physical Activity in Smokers: A Randomized Trial

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Obesity and Physical Activity in the Daily Life of Patients with COPD

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Effects of Chronic Physical Activity and of Ultrasound Treatment on Bone Consolidation

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of ultrasound treatment and physical exercise on the velocity of bone consolidation and resistance to deformation. We performed osteotomy in the upper third of the right tibia of rats. Physical training consisted of swimming 1 h per day with a load of 5% b.w. for 30 days. Therapy with medium-intensity ultrasound was applied daily on the damaged area. Wistar rats were divided into the following groups: osteotomized sedentary animals with no ultrasound treatment (1.OSnUS), osteotomized trained animals with no ultrasound treatment (2.OTnUS), osteotomized sedentary animals with ultrasound treatment (3.OSwUS). and osteotomized trained animals with ultrasound treatment (4.OTwUS). The animals were sacrificed for the following analyses: muscle glycogen, serum alkaline phosphatase at the 5th, 10th, 20th, and 30th days, test of maximum resistance to flexion, rupture flexion and mean tibial rigidity at the 30th day. Muscle glycogen was increased at the 20th day: alkaline phosphatase was elevated at the 5th and 20th days in groups 3.OSwUS and 4.OTwUS. and decreased at the 10th day. Groups1.OSnUS and 2.OTnUS did not show significant variations. In the mechanical resistance tests, we noted that ultrasound therapy and the association of physical activity used in the present study showed significant differences in bone resistance and bone rigidity after 30 days of treatment. These facts suggest that ultrasound or physical activity, or their combination may accelerate the process of bone tissue repair.

Glucose homeostasis in type 1 diabetic rats after acute physical activity

Physical activity is considered an extremely effective therapy in cases of type 1 diabetes (DM-1), as it promotes glucose uptake independent of insulin action. However, there are few studies on the effect of a single session of exercise on glucose uptake in DM-1 (i.e., in the absence of insulin). Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess the effect of a single exercise session on glucose homeostasis in DM-1 rats. For this purpose, 30 male rats were divided into three groups: sedentary control (SC), sedentary diabetic (SD), and exercise diabetic (ED). DM was induced by administration of alloxan and identified by the value of fasting glucose. The physical activity consisted of a single swimming session at the anaerobic threshold intensity for diabetic rats (3.5% body weight overload) for 30 min. The oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was performed immediately after the physical activity. The animals were sacrificed 48 hr after the OGTT, and samples were taken from the blood, liver, gastrocnemius, and mesenteric and subcutaneous adipose tissue. We observed that DM caused significant reduction in body weight. A single session of physical activity did not modify the response to the OGTT or glucose. However, it resulted in increased HDL cholesterol and hepatic glycogen content. These results suggest that, despite not having an effect on glucose homeostasis, acute physical activity performed at anaerobic threshold intensity leads to beneficial changes in the context of type 1 diabetes.