The transformative journey of community health workers in implementing a lifestyle intervention in Brazil: A qualitative study.

Introduction: Community health workers (CHWs) stand as critical frontline agents within the Brazilian healthcare system. In this qualitative study, we examined the impact of a community-based behavioral change intervention spearheaded by CHWs.

Methods: The intervention focused on promoting healthy behaviors - physical activity, nutrition, and emotional well-being - among individuals aged 50 and older living in a rural community in Brazil.

Relationships of Low Cognitive Performance and Sleep Disorder With Functional Disabilities Among Older Adults.

ObjectivesThis study examined the relationships of low cognitive performance and sleep disorder with functional disabilities among older adults. NHANES 2011-2014 data on 3179 individuals [M=69.71] were analyzed.

Is Acculturation Associated with the Cognitive Performance of Older Hispanics?

Background: Hispanics in the United States are disproportionately affected by Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. Little is known about the impact of acculturation on cognitive performance.

Objective: This study examined the association between acculturation and cognitive performance among older Hispanics.

Re-thinking Physical Activity Programs for Older Brazilians and the Role of Public Health Centers: A Randomized Controlled Trial Using the RE-AIM Model.

Explored the role of public health centers in the delivery of physical activity programs to older Brazilians. Total of 114 older adults (81% women) from public health centers across the city of Florianopolis, Brazil, were randomized into three groups: behavior change group ( = 36), traditional exercise group ( = 52), and control group ( = 26). The behavioral change group included 12 weekly meetings (2 h each).

Anthropometric cutoff points to identify lipodystrophy characteristics in people living with HIV/AIDS: an observational study.

Introduction: currently, there is no consensus regarding accurate and low-cost methods for diagnosing lipodystrophy in people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). The aim of this study was to propose anthropometric cutoff points for the diagnosis of lipodystrophy among PLWHA. Methods: we included 106 PLWHA (men = 65, women = 41) who are under antiretroviral therapy and have been clinically classified into either a "lipodystrophy" or "non-lipodystrophy" group.

Call to Action on Making Physical Activity Assessment and Prescription a Medical Standard of Care.

The U.S. population is plagued by physical inactivity, lack of cardiorespiratory fitness, and sedentary lifestyles, all of which are strongly associated with the emerging epidemic of chronic disease.

Recommendations on Physical Activity and Exercise for Older Adults Living in Long-Term Care Facilities: A Taskforce Report.

A taskforce, under the auspices of The International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics-Global Aging Research Network (IAGG-GARN) and the IAGG European Region Clinical Section, composed of experts from the fields of exercise science and geriatrics, met in Toulouse, in December 2015, with the aim of establishing recommendations of physical activity and exercise for older adults living in long-term care facilities (LTCFs). Due to the high heterogeneity in terms of functional ability and cognitive function that characterizes older adults living in LTCFs, taskforce members established 2 sets of recommendations: recommendations for reducing sedentary behaviors for all LTCF residents and recommendations for defining specific, evidence-based guidelines for exercise training for subgroups of LTCF residents. To promote a successful implementation of recommendations, taskforce experts highlighted the importance of promoting residents' motivation and pleasure, the key factors that can be increased when taking into account residents' desires, preferences, beliefs, and attitudes toward physical activity and exercise.

An In-Depth Examination of Perceptions of Physical Activity in Regularly Active and Insufficiently Active Older African American Women: A Participatory Approach.

Despite considerable research and programmatic efforts to alleviate racial/ethnic disparities in physical activity (PA), disparities in PA among older minorities and major racial ethnic groups persist. This study explored perceptions of PA among regularly active (RA) and insufficiently active (IA) older African American women (AAW) and the factors that influence (positively and negatively) their physical participation in their socio-cultural environment. A total of 20 AAW aged 60 to 80 years participated in a cross-sectional mixed-methods study (i.

The need to modify physical activity messages to better speak to older African American women: a pilot study.

Background: Combating the physical inactivity crisis and improving health and quality of life is a challenge and a public health priority, especially in underserved populations. A key role of public health consists of informing, educating, and empowering individuals and communities about health issues. Researchers have found that mass communication messages often have limited effectiveness in reaching and impacting the health of underserved populations.

Brazilian physical activity guidelines as a strategy for health promotion.

Public health actions endorsed by the federal government, for instance, health promotion initiatives, usually have greater impact at population level compared to other types of initiatives. This commentary aims to instigate debate on the importance and necessity of producing federally endorsed brazilian physical activity guidelines as a strategy for health promotion.

Employing a Participatory Research Approach to Explore Physical Activity among Older African American Women.

Introduction. Older African American women are particularly vulnerable to unhealthy lifestyle behaviors such as physical inactivity and the resultant chronic diseases and conditions. This study explored older African American women's perception of physical activity as well as facilitators of and barriers to being physically active in their local environment.

Feasibility of integrating the "Healthy moves for aging well" program into home care aide services for frail older adults.

The purpose of the study was to assess the feasibility of implementing simple, safe, non-equipment evidence-based movements (Healthy Moves for Aging Well program) using an affordable and sustainable homecare-aide based delivery model that reaches the maximum possible number of frail older adults living at home in Illinois. Two local agencies were asked to identify two experienced home care aides and two inexperienced home care aides (n= 8). Each home care aides delivered the Healthy Moves to four clients (n= 16).

Visual and participatory research methods for the development of health messages for underserved populations.

Mass communication health campaign messages play critical roles in public health, yet studies show mixed effectiveness in reaching and impacting underserved populations. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the benefits of using visual and participatory research techniques toward health message development targeting older Hispanic women. Demographic information and levels of physical activity were first obtained in a sample of older Mexican women (n = 23; ages 71.

"Convivência" groups: building active and healthy communities of older adults in Brazil.

In old age, social groups can be a crucial component for health and well-being. In 2009-2010, a follow-up survey was carried out in Florianópolis, Brazil to understand the impact of a variety of programs established since 2002 that were designed to enhance social activities among the older adult population. This study employed two surveys within the population of older adults in Florianópolis.

Beyond screening: tailoring physical activity options with the EASY tool.

The development and dissemination of the EASY tool provides a resource to facilitate access to information about physical activity for older adults, particularly with regard to specific physical activity recommendations for individuals with chronic medical conditions. Health care providers and older adults can use the EASY tool to provide a flexible, tailored approach to screening. This approach will better inform both older adults and their health care providers about safe physical activity programs with appropriate injury management strategies.

Searching for an operational definition of frailty: a Delphi method based consensus statement: the frailty operative definition-consensus conference project.

Background: There is no consensus regarding the definition of frailty for clinical uses.

Methods: A modified Delphi process was used to attempt to achieve consensus definition. Experts were selected from different fields and organized into five Focus Groups.

[A critical analysis of physical activity recommendations in Spain].

Objective: To identify official documents with recommendations on physical activity published by the autonomous regions of Spain with the goal of evaluating their compliance with the physical activity recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO).

Methods: We conducted a content analysis of 55 documents of the ministries of health of several regional governments containing recommendations on physical activity.

Results: Eighty-four percent of the autonomous regions in Spain made recommendations on aerobic physical activity and 37% made recommendations on strength training.

The impact of a national strategy to increase physical activity among older adults on national organizations.

This study was designed to evaluate the impact of the National Blueprint (NB) on the policies, programs, and organizational culture of selected national organizations. The theoretical model selected to assess the impact of the NB on organizational behavior was Burke's system theory of organizational change. Three organizations, AARP, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), and the Administration on Aging (AoA), were selected for the study.

American College of Sports Medicine position stand. Exercise and physical activity for older adults.

The purpose of this Position Stand is to provide an overview of issues critical to understanding the importance of exercise and physical activity in older adult populations. The Position Stand is divided into three sections: Section 1 briefly reviews the structural and functional changes that characterize normal human aging, Section 2 considers the extent to which exercise and physical activity can influence the aging process, and Section 3 summarizes the benefits of both long-term exercise and physical activity and shorter-duration exercise programs on health and functional capacity. Although no amount of physical activity can stop the biological aging process, there is evidence that regular exercise can minimize the physiological effects of an otherwise sedentary lifestyle and increase active life expectancy by limiting the development and progression of chronic disease and disabling conditions.

"We move kids"-the consensus report from the roundtable to examine strategies for promoting walking in the school environment.

In conjunction with the Walking for Health Conference, a Roundtable with 12 physical education teachers and 11 pedagogy researchers and public health professionals was organized to initiate a dialog between practicing school teachers and a group of researchers to identify practical and effective strategies for increasing physical activity, particularly walking, in the school setting. Discussions were organized on the following major themes: (1) promoting physical activity, (2) barriers for physical activity promotion in children, and (3) integrating physical activity with other health behaviors in the curriculum. There was a focus that came through on strategies to overcome barriers to allow opportunities for students to increase their physical activity levels.

A proposal for a new screening paradigm and tool called Exercise Assessment and Screening for You (EASY).

The Exercise Assessment and Screening for You (EASY) is a tool developed to help older individuals, their health care providers, and exercise professionals identify different types of exercise and physical activity regimens that can be tailored to meet the existing health conditions, illnesses, or disabilities of older adults. The EASY tool includes 6 screening questions that were developed based on an expert roundtable and follow-up panel activities. The philosophy behind the EASY is that screening should be a dynamic process in which participants learn to appreciate the importance of engaging in regular exercise, attending to health changes, recognizing a full range of signs and symptoms that might indicate potentially harmful events, and becoming familiar with simple safety tips for initiating and progressively increasing physical activity patterns.

A comparison of the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome and its components among native Japanese and Japanese Brazilians residing in Japan and Brazil.

Background: This study investigated the prevalence of risk factors associated with the metabolic syndrome (MetSyn) among individuals of Japanese descent exposed to different cultural environments.

Design: A cross-sectional study to assess component risk factors for the diagnosis of MetSyn was undertaken in urban areas in Japan and Brazil. A total of 773 men and women aged 35 years or over were included in three groups: 249 native Japanese, 269 Brazilian individuals of Japanese ancestry residing in Japan, and 255 Brazilian individuals of Japanese ancestry residing in Brazil.

Central obesity and health-related factors among middle-aged men: a comparison among native Japanese and Japanese-Brazilians residing in Brazil and Japan.

The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of different cultural environments on the development of obesity by examining the association of central obesity, lifestyle, and selected coronary risk factors among people with identical Japanese genetic backgrounds living in Japan and Brazil. One hundred and four native Japanese and 286 Japanese-Brazilians residing in Brazil and Japan aged 35 years or over were studied. Obesity, metabolic risk factors for coronary disease, and history of regular sports activity, daily physical activity, and eating habits were assessed.