Browsing by Author "Soares-Miranda, Luísa"
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- 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.).
- 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.
- Metabolic risk factors, physical activity and physical fitness in Azorean adolescents: a cross-sectional studyPublication . Moreira, Carla; Santos, Rute; de Farias Júnior, José Cazuza; Vale, Susana; Santos, Paula C; Soares-Miranda, Luísa; Marques, Ana I; Mota, JorgeThe prevalence of metabolic syndrome has increased over the last few decades in adolescents and has become an important health challenge worldwide. This study analyzed the relationships between metabolic risk factors (MRF) and physical activity (PA) and physical fitness (PF) in a sample of Azorean adolescents.
- Metabolic risk factors, physical activity and physical fitness in azorean adolescents: a cross-sectional studyPublication . Moreira, Carla; Santos, Rute; Júnior, José Cazuza de Farias; Vale, Susana; Santos, Paula Clara; Soares-Miranda, Luísa; Marques, Ana I.; Mota, JorgeThe prevalence of metabolic syndrome has increased over the last few decades in adolescents and has become an important health challenge worldwide. This study analyzed the relationships between metabolic risk factors (MRF) and physical activity (PA) and physical fitness (PF) in a sample of Azorean adolescents. A cross-sectional school-based study was conducted on 417 adolescents (243 girls) aged 15-18 from the Azorean Islands, Portugal. Height, weight, waist circumference, fasting glucose, HDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood pressure were measured. A sum of MRF was computed, and adolescents were classified into three groups: no MRF, one MRF and two or more MRF. PA was assessed by a sealed pedometer. PF was assessed using five tests from the Fitnessgram Test Battery. Dietary intake was obtained using a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. Mean daily steps for girls and boys were 7427 ± 2725 and 7916 ± 3936, respectively. Fifty-nine percent of the adolescents showed at least one MRF and 57.6% were under the healthy zone in the 20 m Shuttle Run Test. Ordinal logistic regression analysis showed that after adjusting for sex, body mass index, socio-economic status and adherence to a Mediterranean diet, adolescents who were in the highest quartile of the pedometer step/counts (≥9423 steps/day) and those who achieved the healthy zone in five tests were less likely to have one or more MRF (OR = 0.56;95%CI:0.33-0.95; OR = 0.55;95%CI:0.31-0.98, respectively). Daily step counts and PF levels were negatively associated with having one or more MRF among Azorean adolescents. Our findings emphasize the importance of promoting and increasing regular PA and PF to reduce the public health burden of chronic diseases associated with a sedentary lifestyle.
- Metabolic syndrome and physical fitness in a sample of azorean adolescents.Publication . Moreira, Carla; Santos, Rute; Vale, Susana; Soares-Miranda, Luísa; Marques, Ana I.; Santos, Paula C.; Mota, JorgeMetabolic syndrome, a predecessor of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, has become prevalent in adolescents. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of metabolic syndrome and its components and to analyze the relationship between metabolic syndrome and overall physical fitness levels in a sample of Azorean adolescents. A cross-sectional school-based study, the Azorean Physical Activity and Health Study II, was conducted on 517 adolescents (297 girls, 220 boys) aged 15–18 years old from the Azorean Islands. Body height, weight, waist circumference, and arterial blood pressure were measured according to standards. Fasting intravenous blood samples were analyzed (high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, and glucose). Physical fitness was assessed using five tests from Fitnessgram Test Battery 8.0: Curl-up, push-up, trunk lift, pacer, and sit-and-reach. Adolescents were then classified as being in the healthy zone or above or under the healthy zone. Metabolic syndrome was defined according to the 2007 International Diabetes Federation‘s guidelines for adolescents. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 5% (4.7% in girls and 5.5% in boys, P > 0.05). Waist circumference was the most prevalent component (32.9%), and hypertriglyceridemia the least (4.4%). Logistic regression analysis showed that after adjusting for pubertal stage and socioeconomic status, unfit adolescents (healthy zone criteria in ≤2 tests) were more likely [odds ratio (OR) = 3.414; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.150–10.129] to be classified as having metabolic syndrome. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome is high in Azorean adolescents. Unfit adolescents were more likely to have metabolic syndrome than fit adolescents. Improving overall physical fitness levels and abdominal obesity reduction may be important strategies in overcoming this public health problem and its consequences.
- Physical activity, physical fitness and metabolic risk factors in Azorean adolescentsPublication . Moreira, Carla M.; Santos, Rute; Vale, Susana; Santos, Paula Clara; Abreu, Sandra; Soares-Miranda, Luísa; Marques, Ana I.; Mota, JorgeThis study aimed to analyze the relationships between metabolic risk factors (MRF) with physical activity (PA) and physical fitness (PF) in a sample of Azorean adolescents.
- Preschool children physical activity measurement: importance of epoch length choicePublication . Vale, Susana; Santos, Rute; Silva, Pedro; Soares-Miranda, Luísa; Mota, JorgeThe purpose of this study was twofold: first to document the gender differences in Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity (MVPA) according to two epoch systems (5 vs. 60 s) in preschoolers, and, second to document the differences in physical activity (PA) patterns according to two different epoch choices. The sample comprised 59 preschoolers (31 girls) aged 2-5 years old. PA was assessed by accelerometer during school hours. The time spent in MVPA was significantly higher (p < .001) when a 5-s epoch was considered compared to the 60-s epoch, regardless gender. Further, it was found a difference of ?17 min difference between the 2 epoch systems for MVPA. Different epoch times might affect the time spent in MVPA among preschool children.
- Sitting time and body mass index, in a Portuguese sample of men: results from the Azorean Physical Activity and Health Study (APAHS)Publication . Santos, Rute; Soares-Miranda, Luísa; Vale, Susana; Moreira, Carla; Marques, Ana I; Mota, JorgeThe aim of this study was to verify the relation between body mass index (BMI) and sitting time in a sample of 4,091 Azorean men. BMI was calculated from self-reported weight and height. Total physical activity (PA) time and total sitting time were assessed with the IPAQ (short version). Linear Regression analysis showed that total sitting time (hours/day) was positively associated with BMI (B = 0.078; p < 0.001) after adjustments for age, meal frequency, alcohol and tobacco consumptions, island of residence, education level and total PA time. Although the cross sectional design precludes us from establishing causality, our findings emphasize the importance of reducing sedentary behavior to decrease the risk of obesity.
- The importance of physical education classes in pre-school childrenPublication . Vale, Susana; Santos, Rute; Soares-Miranda, Luísa; Silva, Pedro; Mota, JorgeThe purpose of this study was to analyse differences between total physical activity (TPA) and moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) of pre-school children during daily school hours when they attended the physical education class (PED) and school days without PE class (NPED) and to assess the contribution of PE classes to TPA in school hours. The sample was composed of 193 pre-school healthy children (96 girls) aged from three to five years old and was conducted between February and December of 2008. Children wore accelerometers for at least four consecutive days during school hours. Data were analysed with specific software, age-specific counts-per-minute cut-off points and a 5 s epoch were used. Independent and general linear model repeated measures were used to assess differences between gender and differences between different days within each gender, respectively. Boys engaged more MVPA than girls (P < 0.05). During PED, pre-school children engaged significantly more in TPA and MVPA than during NPED (P < 0.05). PE class contributed, on average, 27.7% for the TPA and 32.8% of daily MVPA during PED in both gender. The results of this study suggest that structured PA such as a PE class increased the daily TPA and MVPA level of pre-school children.