Associations Between Cardiorespiratory Fitness and Metabolic Syndrome in Adolescents: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Low levels of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) are associated with a greater risk of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in adolescence. In this sense, it is important to verify the strength of this association and the certainty that this evidence can be recommended. The objective of this paper is to summarize, through a systematic review and meta-analysis, the evidence available to verify the association between CRF and MetS in adolescents.

Prevalence and Correlates of Health Risk Behaviors among University Students from a State in the Southern Region of Brazil.

Background: Surveys conducted in different regions of the world show that the prevalence rates of health risk behaviors (HRBs) in university students are sometimes higher than those found in non-university populations. This study aims to identify the prevalence rates and demographic and academic environment correlates associated with HRBs among Brazilian university students.

Methods: In a cross-sectional epidemiological study, a random sample of 5310 university students answered an online questionnaire, with demographic (sex, age, skin color, marital status, and paid work) and academic setting information (housing type, size of campus, year, and shift of study), as well as items clustered in four HRB domains: personal safety and violence, sexual behavior and contraception, addictive substance use, eating habits, physical activity, and sleep.

Independent and combined effects of lifestyle behaviors on adolescent health-related quality of life.

Objective: To investigate the independent and combined effects of lifestyle behaviors, including physical activity, sedentary behavior, sleep duration and food intake, in the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of Brazilian adolescents.

Methods: Cross-sectional school-based study, with the participation of 306 adolescents aged 14 to 18 years. A questionnaire was applied with structured questions to collect lifestyle behaviors data.

Health-promoting domains and lifestyle of a sample of Brazilian adolescents.

Background: Reports indicate that the health habits of adults are strongly linked to the behaviors incorporated in adolescence. Therefore, it is essential to monitor the lifestyle of adolescents to promote their present and future health. This study aimed to identify differences in health-promoting domains according to demographic data and lifestyle behaviors, including physical activity, sedentary behavior, sleep duration, and food intake, in a sample of Brazilian adolescents.

Footwork Pro System Reproducibility of Static and Dynamic Plantar Pressure Indicators.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to identify the reproducibility of the Footwork Pro plate in the measurement of static and dynamic plantar pressure in healthy adults.

Methods: We performed a reliability study using a test-retest design. The sample consisted of 49 healthy adults of both sexes, aged 18 to 64.

Adherence to Combined Healthy Movement Behavior Guidelines among Adolescents: Effects on Cardiometabolic Health Markers.

Background: The combined movement behavior guidelines for adolescents recommend ≥60 min of moderate to vigorous physical activity, ≤2 h of screen time, and 8-10 h of sleep. Considering that the information available on this topic in the young Latin American population is rare, this study aimed to identify the proportion of a sample of Brazilian adolescents meeting individual guidelines as well as the combination of the three healthy movement behavior guidelines. In addition, another objective of the study was to examine the effects of compliance with these guidelines on cardiometabolic health markers.

Exercise and fruit/vegetable intake, and their associations with body weight status in university students.

Background: evidence suggests that exposure to risk factors related to excess body weight is more frequent in the second and third decades of life. Thus, one of the most propitious environments for the acquisition of habits that can inhibit overweight is the university. Objective: to identify the frequency of aerobic and strength exercises and of fruit/vegetable intake in university students, and subsequently establish associations between both health behaviors and excess body weight.

Psychometric Properties of the Brazilian Version of the Adolescent Health Promotion Scale (AHPS).

This study aimed to translate into Portuguese, perform the cross-cultural adaptation and verify the psychometric properties of the Adolescent Health Promotion Scale (AHPS) for use in Brazilian adolescents. The original version was translated following international recommendations. The final version of the translated scale was administered to a sample of 1,949 adolescents of both genders aged 12-18 years.

Use of different segmental multi-frequency bioelectrical impedance devices for analysis of body composition in young adults: comparison with bioelectrical spectroscopy.

Introduction: recently there have been several new versions of equipment based on the principles of bioelectrical impedance (BIA). Therefore, it is important to know the agreement between data produced by different commercially available equipment. Objective: to verify the agreement between fat-free mass (FFM), fat mass (FM), and body fat percentage (BF%) estimated using different segmental multi-frequency BIA (Tanita® MC-980U and InBody 770®) and whole-body spectral techniques (Xitron 4200).

Determinants of lifestyle associated with metabolic syndrome in Brazilian adolescents.

Background: metabolic syndrome (MetS) has been diagnosed in adolescents. However, it remains uncertain which determinants of lifestyle are independently associated with its occurrence. Objective: to verify the association between lifestyle determinants (physical activity, sedentary behavior and food consumption) and MetS, by controlling demographic indicators and anthropometric nutritional status in a sample of adolescents from the southern region of Brazil.

Clustering of Excess Body Weight-Related Behaviors in a Sample of Brazilian Adolescents.

The aim of the study was to identify the existence of clusters in multiple lifestyle behaviors, including consumption of fruits/vegetables, sugary products/soft drinks, physical activity and sedentary behavior. The association between identified clusters and excess body weight in a sample of adolescents from Dourados, Brazil, was examined. This is a cross-sectional school-based study involving 578 participants aged 12⁻18 of both sexes.

Correlates of metabolic syndrome among young Brazilian adolescents population.

Background: Findings available in literature indicate that metabolic syndrome (MetS) diagnosed in young ages tends to remain in adulthood. The aim of the study was to identify demographic, nutritional, anthropometric and behavioral correlates of MetS in a sample of adolescents from Dourados, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil.

Methodology: This is a cross-sectional school-based study involving 274 participants aged 12-18 years (186 girls and 88 boys).

Socio-demographic correlates of physical activity among European older people.

From a public health perspective, identifying factors related to attaining the physical activity (PA) recommendations is important in order to identify subgroups for intervention programs. The aim of this study is to identify the socio-demographic correlates of attaining the recommended levels of PA in the older European population. Using data from the European Social Survey round 6, PA and socio-demographic characteristics were collected from 10,148 participants (4556 men, 5592 women), aged 65 years and over, from 28 countries in 2012.

Performance of anthropometric indicators as predictors of metabolic syndrome in Brazilian adolescents.

Background: It is not clear which is the best anthropometric indicator to predict metabolic syndrome (MetS) in adolescents. Our objective was to identify the predictive power, with respective cut-off points, of anthropometric indicators associated with the quantity and distribution of body fat for the presence of MetS and to determine the strength of the association between the proposed cut-off points and MetS in adolescents.

Methods: The sample consisted of 1035 adolescents (565 girls and 470 boys) aged between 12 and 20 years.

Performance of different diagnostic criteria of overweight and obesity as predictors of metabolic syndrome in adolescents.

Objective: To analyze the performance of three different diagnostic criteria of overweight and obesity (WHO, IOTF and Conde and Monteiro) using body mass index (BMI) as predictors of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in a representative sample of adolescents.

Methods: A sample of 1035 adolescents aged 12-20 years (565 girls and 470 boys) was used in the study. BMI was calculated through the quotient of weight (kg)/height squared (m), and MetS was defined according to the criteria of the International Diabetes Federation.

Physical Activity, Sedentary Behavior, Cardiorespiratory Fitness and Metabolic Syndrome in Adolescents: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Observational Evidence.

Background: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) has been diagnosed in adolescents and among the associated factors are low levels of physical activity, sedentary behavior over long periods and low cardiorespiratory fitness. However, specifically in adolescents, studies present conflicting results. The aim of the present study was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies, in order to map the association between physical activity, sedentary behavior, cardiorespiratory fitness and MetS in adolescents.

[Eating habit and metabolic syndrome in a sample of Brazilian adults].

The objective was to analyze indicators related to eating habits and their association with metabolic syndrome (MetS) in a representative sample of adults in a community from State of São Paulo, Brazil. The sample was comprised of 1,112 participants aged ≥ 20 years. Data from sociodemographic issues, indicators regarding eating habits, anthropometric measures, resting arterial pressure, blood glucose and plasma lipids were registered.

[Health-related quality of life in Latin American adolescents].

Objective: The objective of the present study was to find out if there are differences in terms of sex, age, or country of origin for the components of health-related quality of life (HRQL) in samples of adolescents from three cities-in Argentina, Brazil, and Chile, respectively-using data collected through an internationally recognized and validated survey questionnaire, KIDSCREEN-52.

Methods: The KIDSCREEN-52 questionnaire was administered to 1 357 adolescents between 12 and 17 years of age (48.6% of them male) in selected samples in the three countries.

Low body weight/thinness, overweight and obesity of children and adolescents from a Brazilian region of low economic status.

Objective: To assess the prevalence of low body weight/thinness, overweight and obesity in a representative sample of children and adolescents from a Brazilian region with low economic development.

Methods: A total of 982 girls and 986 boys, aged seven to 17 years old and assisted by Segundo Tempo Program, from Montes Claros, Minas Gerais, Brazil, were included in the study. Low body weight/thinness, overweight and obesity were defined based on body mass cut-off indexes recommended by the International Obesity Task Force.

[Semantic and conceptual equivalences of the Portuguese version of the National College Health Assessment II].

The objective of this study was to describe the semantic and conceptual equivalences of the National College Health Assessment II (NCHA II). The original version of the NCHA II was translated into Portuguese and back-translated into English. A committee of experts analyzed the different versions of the questionnaire.

Effects of social and environmental determinants on overweight and obesity among Brazilian schoolchildren from a developing region.

Objective: To identify the social and environmental determinants most strongly associated with overweight and obesity in Brazilian schoolchildren from a developing region.

Methods: Data were collected from a community-based survey of schoolchildren from the Valley of Jequitinhonha, Minas Gerais, Brazil. The sample was composed of 5 100 school children aged 6-18 years.

Validation of the Brazilian version of the 2007 Youth Risk Behavior Survey.

Objective: To validate the psychometric properties of the Brazilian version of the 2007 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) questionnaire.

Methods: The original version of the 2007 YRBS was translated into Portuguese and back-translated into English. The questionnaire versions were analyzed by a committee of experts.

Physical growth of schoolchildren from the Jequitinhonha Valley, Minas Gerais, Brazil: Comparison with the CDC-2000 reference using the LMS method.

Objective: To analyse the physical growth of a representative school population sample from the Jequitinhonha Valley, Minas Gerais, Brazil, in comparison with the reference proposed by the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC-2000).

Methods: The sample was composed of 5100 individuals (2730 girls and 2370 boys), aged 6-18 years. Body weight-for-age and height-for-age percentiles were obtained using the LMS method.

[Impact of the habitual physical activity on lipid profile in adults].

The present study was designed to analyze the impact of the habitual physical activity determined by International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) on lipid profile in representative sample of adults. A sample of 361 subjects (196 women and 165 men) aged 20-60 years old was included in the study. Plasma lipid concentrations were measured by standard procedures.

[Tobacco use and plasma lipid-lipoprotein profile in adolescents].

Objective: To analyze the impact of tobacco use on plasma lipid lipoprotein profile in representative sample of adolescents.

Methods: A sample of 452 subjects (246 girls and 206 boys) 15 to 18 years old were included in the study. Each participant completed a structured and self-administered questionnaire concerning tobacco use.