Salma Stéphany Soleman Hernandez

Anthropometric indicators of obesity in policemen: A systematic review of observational studies

The aim of this paper was to summarize scientific literature on obesity in policemen through a systematic review of observational studies. For this purpose the following electronic databases were selected: Medline by Pubmed, CINAHL, and Scopus; and a manual search of the referenced studies concerning this topic was performed. There were no restrictions with respect to the year or language of the publication. Twenty-three studies were identified and 9 articles, considered as potentially relevant, were included. The labor time, shift and career progression promoted changes in body composition. Most of the policemen taking part in the studies included in this paper were overweight (BMI: 25.2–29.3), obese (body fat ≥ 25%), had increased waist (90.4–102 cm) and abdominal perimeters (18.9–90.5 cm), and had a higher risk of chronic disease, which is associated with depression and stress development. Interventional studies are needed for the purpose of proposing preventive and rehabilitation programs, which would result in providing physical and mental well-being, improvement of life quality and, especially, prevention of obesity related to police work.

Health-related quality of life and related factors of military police officers

PurposeThe present study aimed to determine the effect of demographic characteristics, occupation, anthropometric indices, and leisure-time physical activity levels on coronary risk and health-related quality of life among military police officers from the State of Santa Catarina, Brazil.MethodsThe sample included 165 military police officers who fulfilled the study’s inclusion criteria. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire and the Short Form Health Survey were used, in addition to a spreadsheet of socio-demographic, occupational and anthropometric data. Statistical analyses were performed using descriptive analysis followed by Spearman Correlation and multiple linear regression analysis using the backward method.ResultsThe waist-to-height ratio was identified as a risk factor low health-related quality of life. In addition, the conicity index, fat percentage, years of service in the military police, minutes of work per day and leisure-time physical activity levels were identified as risk factors for coronary disease among police officers.ConclusionsThese findings suggest that the Military Police Department should adopt an institutional policy that allows police officers to practice regular physical activity in order to maintain and improve their physical fitness, health, job performance, and quality of life.ResumoObjetivoO presente estudo teve como objetivo determinar o efeito das características demográficas, ocupacionais, antropométricas e dos níveis de atividade física no lazer sobre o risco coronariano e qualidade de vida relacionada à saúde de policiais militares do Estado de Santa Catarina, Brasil.MétodosA amostra foi composta por 165 policiais militares que preencheram os critérios de inclusão do estudo. Foram aplicados os questionários International Physical Activity Questionnaire, Form Health Survey-36 e Inventário de Risco Coronariano, além de uma planilha de dados sócio-demográficos, ocupacionais e antropométricos. As análises estatísticas consistiram em análise descritiva seguida de correlação de Spearman e análise de regressão linear múltipla utilizando o método backward.ResultadosA relação cintura estatura foi identificada como fator de risco para uma baixa qualidade de vida relacionada à saúde. Além disso, o índice de conicidade, percentual de gordura, tempo de serviço na Polícia Militar, minutos de trabalhos por dia e níveis de atividade física no lazer foram identificados como fatores de risco para doença coronariana entre os policiais.ConclusõesEstes resultados sugerem que os Departamentos de Polícia Militar devem adotar uma política institucional que viabilize a prática da atividade física regular, com o objetivo de manter e aperfeiçoar as aptidões físicas, com vistas à melhoria de sua saúde e, por conseguinte para o seu aprimoramento técnico profissional e sua qualidade de vida.

Efeitos da caminhada nórdica na doença de Parkinson: uma revisão sistemática de ensaios clínicos randomizados

Several exercise modalities improve the symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease (PD). Among the variety of physical exercises, Nordic walking has been used. The aim of this study was to summarize scientific literature on effects of Nordic walking on patients with PD by a systematic review of randomized clinical trials. The following electronic databases were selected: MEDLINE by Pubmed, Cochrane, PEDro, SCOPUS and Web of Science and articles identified by manual search, without restriction of date and language. The reviewers evaluated the articles and selected studies according to the eligibility criteria. The following data were extracted from the selected studies: publication identification, participants’ characteristics (sex, age, disease stage, duration of disease), experimental intervention characteristics, control group characteristics, duration, follow-up time, outcome measures and main results. Nordic walking programs with moderate and high intensities, with a minimum of 12 sessions of 60 minutes in a period from 6 to 24 weeks promoted positive effects on the severity, gait, balance, quality of life, functional capacity and motor function in patients with PD.