Carla Menêses Hardman

Frequency of consumption of fruits, vegetables and soft drinks: a comparative study among adolescents in urban and rural areas

OBJECTIVE To compare the frequency of consumption of fruits, vegetables and soft drinks among adolescents living in urban and rural areas of Pernambuco State. METHODS A cross-sectional study based on secondary analysis of data from a representative sample of high school students in Pernambuco (n = 4,207, 14 - 19 years) was conducted. Data were collected through a previously validated questionnaire. Adolescents who reported a daily consumption of soft drinks and occasional consumption of fruits, juices and vegetables were classified as exposed to inadequate standard of consumption of these foods. The independent variable was the place of residence (urban/rural). Data were analyzed by frequency distribution, χ2 test and binary logistic regression. RESULTS It was observed that students residing in rural areas had a higher prevalence of occasional consumption of natural fruit juices (37.6%; 95%CI 36.1 - 39.0) than those living in urban areas (32.1%; 95%CI 30.7 - 33.6). The proportion of students exposed to daily consumption of soft drinks was higher among those who reported they lived in urban areas (65.0%; 95%CI 63.5 - 66.4) compared to those who reported living in rural areas (55.3%; 95%CI 53.8 - 56.9). CONCLUSION Adolescent students living in rural areas had a higher prevalence of low consumption of natural fruit juices while those residing in urban areas had a higher prevalence of daily consumption of soda drinks.

Prevalence and factors associated with the co-occurrence of health risk behaviors in adolescents

Objective: To analyze the prevalence and factors associated with the co-occurrence of health risk behaviors in adolescents. Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed with a sample of high school students from state public schools in Pernambuco, Brazil (n=4207, 14-19 years old). Data were obtained using a questionnaire. The co-occurrence of health risk behaviors was established based on the sum of five behavioral risk factors (low physical activity, sedentary behavior, low consumption of fruits/vegetables, alcohol consumption and tobacco use). The independent variables were gender, age group, time of day attending school, school size, maternal education, occupational status, skin color, geographic region and place of residence. Data were analyzed by ordinal logistic regression with proportional odds model. Results: Approximately 10% of adolescents were not exposed to health risk behaviors, while 58.5% reported being exposed to at least two health risk behaviors simultaneously. There was a higher likelihood of co-occurrence of health risk behaviors among adolescents in the older age group, with intermediate maternal education (9-11 years of schooling), and who reported living in the driest (semi-arid) region of the state of Pernambuco. Adolescents who reported having a job and living in rural areas had a lower likelihood of co-occurrence of risk behaviors. Conclusions: The findings suggest a high prevalence of co-occurrence of health risk behaviors in this group of adolescents, with a higher chance in five subgroups (older age, intermediate maternal education, the ones that reported not working, those living in urban areas and in the driest region of the state).

Commuting to School and to Work Among High School Students in Santa Catarina State, Brazil: A Comparative Analysis Between 2001 and 2011

BACKGROUND Commuting reflects an important opportunity for youth to engage in physical activity. This study aimed to compare modes of commuting to school and to work and to identify sociodemographic factors associated with various modes of transportation. METHODS Epidemiologic study with a repeated cross-sectional design. Participants included high school students (15-19 years of age) from Santa Catarina state, Brazil, in 2001 (n = 5028) and 2011 (n = 6529). A questionnaire containing information on the type of transport used to commute to school and to work was administered. RESULTS Walking/bicycling and the use of the bus to commute to school and to work remained stable after a decade; however, the use of car/motorcycle to school (6.4% versus 12.6%) and to work (10.2% versus 19.7%) increased significantly. In both cases, females more frequently used buses, whereas males commuted to work by car/bus. Students from rural areas more commonly commuted to school by car/motorcycle, whereas those from urban areas traveled to work more by bus. There was a greater use of cars/motorcycles by young people from higher-income families. CONCLUSIONS The use of cars/motorcycles to commute to school/work has almost doubled in the last decade. Sex, residential area and income were associated with passive commuting.

Participação nas aulas de educação física e indicadores de atitudes relacionadas à atividade física em adolescentes

The objective of this study was to analyze the association between the participation in physical education classes (PPEC) and attitudes towards physical activity (to enjoy physical activity and to prefer active leisure activities) in adolescents. This is a cross-sectional epidemiological study from a representative sample of adolescents (n = 4207, 14-19 years) high school students of public schools from Pernambuco. Data were collected using a previously validated questionnaire. It was found that among adolescents who reported PPEC the chance to enjoy physical activity was 73% higher in boys and 93% higher in girls compared to those who do not participate in the classes. The chance of to prefer active leisure activities was 97% and 72% higher in boys than in girls and PPEC, respectively. It was concluded that the PPEC is directly associated with the indicators that express attitudes of adolescents in relation to physical activity.

Erratum on “Association between physical activity, participation in Physical Education classes, and social isolation in adolescents”

a Post-graduate Program in Hebiatria, Universidade de Pernambuco (UPE), Camaragibe, PE, Brazil b Post-graduation Program in Physical Education, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC), Florianopolis, SC, Brazil c Post-graduation Program in Physical Education, Universidade de Pernambuco (UPE), Recife, PE, Brazil d Department of Physical Education, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (UFPE), Recife, PE, Brazil