Browsing by Author "Santos, Rute"
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- Ability of different measures of adiposity to identify high metabolic risk in adolescentsPublication . Carla Moreira, Carla; Santos, Rute; Vale, Susana; Santos, Paula Clara; Abreu, Sandra; Marques, Ana I.; Soares-Miranda, Luısa; Mota, JorgeThis study aimed to evaluate the screening performance of different measures of adiposity: body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) for high metabolic risk in a sample of adolescents. A cross sectional school-based study was conducted on 517 adolescents aged 15–18, from the Azorean Islands, Portugal. We measured fasting glucose, insulin, total cholesterol (TC), HDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, and systolic blood pressure. HOMA and TC/HDL C ratio were calculated. For each of these variables, a Z-score was computed by age and sex. A metabolic risk score (MRS) was constructed by summing the Z-scores of all individual risk factors. High risk was considered when the individual had ≥1SD of this score. Receiver-operating characteristics (ROC) were used. Linear regression analyses showed that, after adjusting for age and pubertal stage, all different measures of adiposity are positively and significantly associated with MRS in both sexes, with exception of WHtR for boys. BMI, WC, and WHtR performed well in detecting high MRS, indicated by areas under the curve (AUC), with slightly greater AUC for BMI than for WC and WHtR in both sexes. All measures of adiposity were significantly associated with metabolic risk factors in a sample of Portuguese adolescents
- Alteração no consumo de fruta e sopa durante a gravidez e a sua associação com o índice de massa corporal pré-gestacionalPublication . Abreu, Sandra; Santos, Paula Clara; Moreira, Carla; Vale, Susana; Santos, Rute; Soares-Miranda, Luísa; Mota, Jorge; Moreira, PedroEncontra-se descrito que durante a gravidez, em benefício da saúde do feto, a mulher altera alguns dos seus hábitos alimentares. O objectivo deste estudo foi determinar as alterações no consumo de fruta e sopa na gravidez de acordo com o IMC pré-gestacional.
- Association between milk intake, leisure-time physical activity and abdominal obesity in girls 2012Publication . Abreu, Sandra; Santos, Rute; Moreira, Carla; Santos, Paula Clara; Vale, Susana; Soares-Miranda, Luísa; Mota, Jorge; Moreira, PedroDiet and physical activity are recognized as important factors to prevent abdominal obesity (AO), which is strongly associated with chronic disease (type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, etc.).
- Atividade física na gravidez e a sua influência nos ganhos ponderaisPublication . Santos, Paula Clara; Couto, Miriam; Soares, Luísa; Abreu, Sandra; Moreira, Carla; Silva, Pedro; Ferreira, Margarida; Santos, Rute; Moreira, Pedro; Montenegro, Nuno; Mota, JorgeComparativamente às grávidas com um peso saudável, as grávidas com excesso de peso ou obesidade têm um aumentado de diabetes gestacional, pré-eclâmpsia, parto induzido, cesariana, prematuridade e macrossomia. Existem várias recomendações quanto à prática de atividade física. Vários estudos revelam que esta prática tem efeitos positivos no que diz respeito ao cumprimento das recomendações do ganho ponderal na gravidez. No entanto, alguns estudos revelaram não haver diferenças no ganho ponderal materno entre grávidas que praticam e as que não praticam exercício.
- Buildings Sustainability: The HVAC ContributionPublication . Felgueiras, Carlos; Santos, Rute; Fonseca, Luís Miguel; Caetano, Nídia SáA very important part of the globally produced energy is consumed in buildings, being an important share frequently used in the HVAC systems. These ones are increasing both in performance and in complexity, taking advantage from the use of the recent advances in mechanical and power electronic devices, particularly in the speed variation field. However the improved efficiency only occurs while the HVAC unit is working in the conditions specified by the manufacturer, otherwise the energy consumption raises to values considerably higher than the nominal ones. The adequate maintenance enforces the system to run on its nominal performance and the contrary has undesirable impact both in the performance and in the system expected life time. Therefore, HVAC field maintenance assumes a very important role in the global building sustainability concept. This work presents some results of an incorrect use of HVAC and the associated electric energy overconsumption that can assume values 50% higher than those that occur when the installation is operated according to the adequate maintenance plan.
- Capacidade de diferentes medidas de adiposidade para discriminar o risco metabólico em adolescentesPublication . Moreira, Carla Marisa Maia; Santos, Rute; Vale, Susana; Santos, Paula; Abreu, Sandra; Marques, Ana; Soares-Miranda, Luisa; Mota, JorgeEste estudo tem como objectivo determinar o poder discriminante das diferentes medidas de adiposidade: índice de massa corporal (IMC), perímetro da cintura (PC) e rácio cintura-altura (RCA) na identificação do risco metabólico em adolescentes açorianos.
- Cardiorespiratory fitness is negatively associated with metabolic risk factors independently of the adherence to a healthy dietary patternPublication . Moreira, Carla; Santos, Rute; Moreira, Pedro; Lobelo, F.; Ruiz, J. R.; Vale, Susana; Santos, Paula Clara; Abreu, Sandra; Mota, JorgeCardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and diet have been involved as significant factors towards the prevention of cardio-metabolic diseases. This study aimed to assess the impact of the combined associations of CRF and adherence to the Southern European Atlantic Diet (SEADiet) on the clustering of metabolic risk factors in adolescents. A cross-sectional school-based study was conducted on 468 adolescents aged 15-18, from the Azorean Islands, Portugal. We measured fasting glucose, insulin, total cholesterol (TC), HDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, systolic blood pressure, waits circumference and height. HOMA, TC/HDL-C ratio and waist-to-height ratio were calculated. For each of these variables, a Z-score was computed by age and sex. A metabolic risk score (MRS) was constructed by summing the Z scores of all individual risk factors. High risk was considered when the individual had 1SD of this score. CRF was measured with the 20 m-Shuttle-Run- Test. Adherence to SEADiet was assessed with a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. Logistic regression showed that, after adjusting for potential confounders, unfit adolescents with low adherence to SEADiet had the highest odds of having MRS (OR Z 9.4; 95%CI:2.6e33.3) followed by the unfit ones with high adherence to the SEADiet (OR Z 6.6; 95% CI: 1.9e22.5) when compared to those who were fit and had higher adherence to SEADiet.
- Compliance with physical activity guidelines in preschool childrenPublication . Vale, Susana; Silva, Pedro; Santos, Rute; Soares-Miranda, Luisa; Mota, JorgeThe aims of this study were (1) to document differences in physical activity (both total and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity) between the sexes on weekdays and weekend days in preschoolers, and (2) to assess compliance with recommendations for total physical activity (National Association for Sport and Physical Education guidelines) and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity on weekdays and weekend days in the same children. The sample comprised 245 preschoolers (105 girls, 140 boys) aged 3.5-6.0 years old. Physical activity was assessed using an Actigraph accelerometer. Data were analysed with specific software and activity was measured as counts per minute. An independent t-test and general linear model with repeated-measures were used to assess differences between the sexes and differences between days (weekdays and weekend days) within each sex, respectively. A chi-square test was used to determine differences between the sexes in the proportion of children complying with physical activity guidelines. In both sexes, sedentary behaviour accounted for the majority of the time on weekdays and weekend days (weekdays: 83%; weekend days: 83.9%). Boys engaged in significantly more (P < 0.05) total physical activity and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity than girls (weekdays: boys 155.4 min vs. girls 128.22 min; weekend days: boys 111.2 min vs. girls 90.5 min). On average, preschool children engaged in significantly more (P < 0.05) total physical activity and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity on weekdays than weekend days. Altogether, 74.3% and 93.5% of the children met the National Association for Sport and Physical Education guidelines and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity recommendations respectively on weekdays, whereas compliance with both recommendations was substantially less in both sexes on weekend days. The results of this study suggest that despite 83% of time during the day being spent in sedentary behaviour, most preschool children met the daily physical activity and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity recommendations on weekdays. Future research should consider the two constructs of physical activity and sedentary behaviour independently, as they might not necessarily counteract each other.
- Evaluation of physical activity programmes for the elderly - exploring the lessons from other sectors and examining the general characteristics of the programmes.Publication . Marques, Ana I.; Soares, Pedro; Soares-Miranda, Luísa; Moreira, Carla; Oliveira-Tavares, António; Santos, Paula Clara; Vale, Susana; Santos, Rute; Carvalho, JoanaIn Portugal, there are several physical activity (PA) programmes for elderly people developed by the local government. The importance of these programmes has been increasing since the evidence has shown that this type of health promotion interventions may reduce the deleterious effects of the ageing process. However, no study has already identified the general characteristics of these programmes nor if they use any scheme to assess the quality of the service provided. A widely-used scheme is the EFQM Excellence Model, which will be in the core of our present work. Thus, the main aims of this preliminary study were 1) to identify the general characteristics of the PA programmes developed by the Portuguese Local Public Administration 2) to determine the extent of implementation of quality initiatives in these programmes. Data were collected by an on-line questionnaire sent to all Continental Municipalities (n = 278). Categorical data were expressed as absolute counts and percentages. Continuous data were expressed as the mean and SD. An open-ended question was analysed using qualitative content analysis with QSR NVivo software. Associations between categorical variables were tested by the use of contingency tables and the calculation of chi-square tests. Significance level was set at p ≤ 0.05. Results showed: i) a total of 125 PA programmes were identified in the 18 districts of the Portugal mainland; ii) the main goal of the majority (95.2%) was the participants' health promotion; iii) different characteristics of the programmes were found according to different regions of the country; iv) certain characteristics of the programmes were associated to the existence of other features; v) only one PA programme developed quality initiatives. In conclusion, although there are many PA programmes for elderly people spread throughout the country, aiming at improving the health of participants, the overwhelming majority does not adopt quality control initiatives. Considering that the quality of a service increases customer satisfaction, the continuous quality improvement of the PA programmes for elderly people should therefore be implemented since they can be useful and critical for elderly satisfaction and adherence.
- Food consumption, physical activity and socio-economic status related to BMI, waist circumference and waist-to-height ratio in adolescentsPublication . Abreu, Sandra; Santos, Rute; Moreira, Carla; Santos, Paula Clara; Mota, Jorge; Moreira, PedroTo examine the association between obesity and food group intakes, physical activity and socio-economic status in adolescents. A cross-sectional study was carried out in 2008. Cole's cut-off points were used to categorize BMI. Abdominal obesity was defined by a waist circumference at or above the 90th percentile, as well as a waist-to-height ratio at or above 0·500. Diet was evaluated using an FFQ, and the food group consumption was categorized using sex-specific tertiles of each food group amount. Physical activity was assessed via a self-report questionnaire. Socio-economic status was assessed referring to parental education and employment status. Data were analysed separately for girls and boys and the associations among food consumption, physical activity, socio-economic status and BMI, waist circumference and waist-to-height ratio were evaluated using logistic regression analysis, adjusting the results for potential confounders. Public schools in the Azorean Archipelago, Portugal. Adolescents (n 1209) aged 15–18 years. After adjustment, in boys, higher intake of ready-to-eat cereals was a negative predictor while vegetables were a positive predictor of overweight/obesity and abdominal obesity. Active boys had lower odds of abdominal obesity compared with inactive boys. Boys whose mother showed a low education level had higher odds of abdominal obesity compared with boys whose mother presented a high education level. Concerning girls, higher intake of sweets and pastries was a negative predictor of overweight/obesity and abdominal obesity. Girls in tertile 2 of milk intake had lower odds of abdominal obesity than those in tertile 1. Girls whose father had no relationship with employment displayed higher odds of abdominal obesity compared with girls whose father had high employment status. We have found that different measures of obesity have distinct associations with food group intakes, physical activity and socio-economic status.