Search

Objective:  The aim of this study was to investigate the knowledge concerning gestational weight gain (GWG), nutrition, and physical exercise (PE) in pregnant women, and how to put them into practice., Methods:  A cross-sectional study with 61 pregnant women above 26 weeks of gestation, at the Woman's Hospital, CAISM, University of Campinas. Questionnaires regarding the knowledge of healthy habits (HH) during pregnancy, sociodemographic data, and previous obstetric outcomes were applied. An educational guide with advice on HH during pregnancy and in the postpartum period was offered., Results:  The average age of women was 28.7 ± 6.23 years, with 85% of them being married; 32% nulliparous; the average body mass index (BMI) before pregnancy was 25.4 ± 9.8 kg/m 2 , and the mean number of years of schooling was 11.2 ± 3.8. Only 61% of the subjects had received any previous information about GWG during their antenatal care and were aware as to how many pounds they should gain during pregnancy. Among the 61 women, 85% understood that they did not need to "eat for 2" and 99% knew that PE had benefits for their body and was safe for their baby. Half of the women practiced PE prior to pregnancy; however, only 31% continued the practice of PE during the pregnancy., Conclusion:  Despite understanding the need for HH during pregnancy, women still need encouragement to practice PE during pregnancy, as well as more information about GWG., Competing Interests: The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this article., (Thieme Revinter Publicações Ltda Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.)

Objective: To assess the physical activity levels of pregnant women and to examine the characteristics associated with the practice of exercise and the activities of daily living during pregnancy., Methods: For this cross-sectional study, 1,279 women were recruited within 72 hours postpartum. They were interviewed about their socio-demographic data and obstetric history and were administered self-report questionnaires about exercise and daily physical activities during pregnancy. Data on the current pregnancy, labor, delivery, and newborn outcomes were collected from participants' medical records. To analyze factors related to the practice of exercise, we used the student t-test, X², and odds ratio (OR), with a corresponding 95% confident interval (CI), followed by a multiple logistic regression. The significance level was 5%., Results: Compared to the pre-pregnancy period, the prevalence of physical activity among participants was lower throughout pregnancy (20.1%) (p = 0.01). Half of the women interrupted practicing physical exercise due to pregnancy. The lowest prevalence of exercise was observed in the first (13.6%) and third trimesters (13.4%). Less than half of women received exercise guidance during prenatal care meetings (47.4%). Walking was the most commonly reported exercise, followed by water aerobics. Factors positively associated with exercise practice were higher educational level (OR= 1.82; CI 95% 1.28-2.60), primiparity (OR=1.49; CI 95% 1.07-2.07), exercising before pregnancy (OR= 6.45; CI 95% 4.64-8.96), and exercise guidance during prenatal care (OR=2.54; CI 95% 1.80-3.57). Mildly intense exercise and domestic activities were most frequently reported among pregnant women. There were no differences in maternal and perinatal outcomes between active and sedentary pregnant women., Conclusion: The findings indicate that promoting physical activity remains a priority in public health policy, and women of childbearing age, especially those planning a pregnancy, should be encouraged to adopt an exercise routine or maintain an active lifestyle during pregnancy in order to avoid sedentary- and obesity-associated risks.

Objective: To evaluate the association between different types of physical activity and quality of life in a sample of women aged 60 or over., Subjects and Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out, interviewing 271 women. Of these, 141 were recruited in a menopause outpatient clinic and 130 were recruited in a social leisure center, in Brazil. The instruments used were the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) version 8 and the World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire specific for this age group (WHOQOL-OLD). Each IPAQ section was evaluated by multiple linear regression analysis, considering independent and confounding variables. The significance level was set at 5% and the software used was SAS version 9.1.3., Results: The mean age of the patients was 67.4 ± 5.3 years. The mean time devoted to physical activity was 2802.7 ± 1154.9 minutes per week. The total WHOQOL-OLD score was 66.9 ± 11.7. The past, present and future actvities (estimated β = 0.021) and, social participation (estimated β = 0.03) domains had association with IPAQ transportation section. The leisure-time domain of the IPAQ had an inverse and significant relationship with the quality of life score related to present, past and future activities (estimated β = -0.0269)., Conclusion: Quality of life was negatively influenced by leisure, but time spent in this physical activity was the shortest in comparison to other types of physical activities. In this sample, only physical activity for transportation was positively associated with a better quality of life.

Background: To evaluate the prevalence of habitual physical activity and cardiovascular risk in postmenopausal women., Methods: A cross-sectional study was made of 162 women, aged 40-65 years, amenorrheic for at least 12 months, receiving care at the menopause clinic of CAISM/UNICAMP. The women verbally answered the International Physical Activity Questionnaire for assessment of physical activity levels. This instrument evaluates the frequency and duration of activities performed during transportation, at work, at home or in leisure- over the course of a normal week. Women were classified as sedentary, insufficiently active, active or very active. Laboratory tests were carried out to measure total serum cholesterol, high density lipoproteins and fasting glucose. Systolic and diastolic pressure was measured., Results: The mean age of women in this study was 56.5 years and mean age at menopause was 46 years. Prevalence of physical activity was 83.3% of which 80.8% were classified as active, 2.5% as very active and 16.7% as insufficiently active. Principal activities were performed during transportation and while carrying out household chores. Only 38.3% of women had leisure-time physical activities. In the population, 87.7% of the women presented a Framingham score <10, considered of low cardiovascular risk., Conclusions: Postmenopausal women show a high prevalence of habitual physical activity and low adherence to physical exercise. Cardiovascular risk was low in the population studied. It is important to encourage these women to practice physical activity compatible with their physical condition, to orient and stimulate them to practice not only their habitual physical activity but also physical exercise.

Aims and Background: We attempted to determine the best method of performing the exercises in rehabilitation after breast cancer surgery and their influence on postoperative complications. Currently, there are no guidelines for these exercises. The scope of this study was to evaluate the effect of two schemes of physiotherapy exercises (directed or free) on shoulder function and lymphatic disturbance in postoperative rehabilitation., Subjects: Sixty women who underwent a modified radical mastectomy or quadrantectomy with axillary dissection were randomized into two groups., Methods: The physiotherapy technique used was kinesiotherapy. The directed group performed physiotherapy following a regimen of 19 exercises. The free group performed the exercises following the biomechanical physiological movements of the shoulder without a previously defined sequence or number of repetitions., Results: The averages of the flexion, abduction and external rotational movements of the shoulder showed better recovery with statistical significance in the directed group compared to the free group. There was no significant difference between the groups in lymphatic disturbance., Conclusion: At the end of 42 days of follow-up, the movements of flexion, extension, abduction and external rotation of the shoulder were better rehabilitated in the directed group. The two schemes of exercises were not different with regard to lymphatic disturbance.

Objective: To evaluate the association between physical activity and the morphological, functional and physiological components of physical fitness in postmenopausal women., Methods: A cross-sectional study of 162 postmenopausal women, 40-65 years of age, who verbally responded to the International Physical Activity Questionnaire applied to evaluate their level of physical activity. Physical fitness was evaluated by measuring body mass index, waist circumference, body fat percentage, maximum oxygen consumption, plasma levels of total and fractional cholesterol, triglycerides and fasting glucose, as well as blood pressure., Results: Approximately 83.5% of the women were active, principal physical activities being household chores and transportation walking. Approximately 80% of the women were overweight or obese and presented a waist circumference indicative of high or very high risk for cardiovascular disease, and fat percentage above 33%. Over 50% were found to have low oxygen consumption. There were no significant differences between the groups of active and inactive women with respect to mean body mass index (p = 0.43), percentage of body fat (p = 0.60), hip-to-waist ratio (p = 0.93), waist circumference (p = 0.44), maximum VO2 (p = 0.32), total cholesterol (p = 0.43), fasting glucose (p = 0.73), and systolic (p = 0.79) or diastolic blood pressure (p = 0.48). Adjusted prevalence ratios also showed no significant differences between the groups., Conclusions: Habitual physical activity is not associated with variations in the components that are used to describe physical fitness. It is important to encourage physical activity and provide guidelines to ensure that it is carried out in the quantity, duration and intensity required for improving physical fitness level and obtaining health benefits.