Douglas Fernando Dias

Bio: Douglas Fernando Dias is an academic researcher from Universidade Estadual de Londrina. The author has contributed to research in topics: Medicine & Poisson regression. The author has an hindex of 8, co-authored 21 publications receiving 147 citations.

Perceived barriers to leisure-time physical activity and associated factors in adolescents.

Abstract: O objetivo deste estudo foi identificar a prevalencia das barreiras percebidas a pratica de atividade fisica no lazer de adolescentes, bem como analisar a possivel associacao das mesmas com a inatividade fisica no lazer. Este estudo transversal foi conduzido em 2011 e selecionou, por meio de multiplos estagios, uma amostra representativa de 1.409 estudantes do ensino medio de escolas publicas do municipio de Londrina/PR. Os adolescentes responderam um questionario para coleta de dados. A relacao entre inatividade fisica no lazer (< 300 minutos/semana) e barreiras percebidas foi analisada mediante o calculo da razao de prevalencia (RP) em modelos de regressao de Poisson. “Falta de companhia” foi a barreira mais prevalente para mocas (75,8%) e rapazes (58,7%). “Preguica” para as mocas (RP: 1,21; IC95%: 1,08-1,36) e “preferencia por outras atividades” para os rapazes (RP: 1,48; IC95%: 1,01-2,15), foram as barreiras mais fortemente associadas a inatividade fisica no lazer. Para ambos os generos, foi observada forte relacao de dose-resposta entre numero de barreiras percebidas e inatividade fisica no lazer. A percepcao de barreiras foi associada a maior prevalencia de inatividade fisica no lazer em adolescentes e deve, portanto, ser considerada em acoes de promocao de atividade fisica nessa populacao.

Insufficient free-time physical activity and occupational factors in Brazilian public school teachers.

Abstract: OBJETIVO Analisar se fatores ocupacionais percebidos estao associados a atividade fisica insuficiente no tempo livre em professores de escolas publicas. METODOS A relacao entre atividade fisica insuficiente (< 150 minutos/semana) e variaveis relacionadas ao trabalho foi analisada em 978 professores do ensino fundamental e medio mediante o calculo da razao de prevalencia (RP) e intervalo […]

Prevalência de fatores de risco para doenças cardiovasculares entre escolares em Londrina - PR: diferenças entre classes econômicas

Abstract: OBJETIVO: Avaliar e comparar a prevalencia de fatores de riscos cardiovasculares em adolescentes escolares de diferentes classes economicas. METODOS: Foram avaliados 1.021 adolescentes. Os individuos foram pesados e tiveram sua altura e circunferencia abdominal medidos, alem da sua pressao arterial aferida. A pratica de atividade fisica e condicao socioeconomica foram relatadas. Os resultados foram avaliados pela utilizacao da frequencia das variaveis e pelo teste do qui-quadrado. RESULTADOS: Observou-se menor prevalencia de sedentarismo (p < 0,001) e maiores prevalencias de obesidade abdominal (p = 0,038) e de sobrepeso (p = 0,010) entre adolescentes da classe economica alta. Nao houve diferenca de prevalencia de pressao arterial elevada entre adolescentes da classe economica baixa e alta. Quando os fatores de risco cardiovasculares foram agregados, a prevalencia tambem foi maior na classe economica alta para um ou dois fatores de risco. CONCLUSAO: Com excecao do sedentarismo e da pressao arterial elevada, a prevalencia de fatores de risco para doencas cardiovasculares foi maior na classe economica alta.

Association Between Chronic Pain and Leisure Time Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior in Schoolteachers.

Abstract: Chronic pain (CP) is a public health problem with harmful social and individual effects, and its relationships with physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviors are unclear. This study examined the relationship between CP and PA and time spent watching television as an indicator of leisure time sedentary behavior, and explored the effects of major confounding factors. The information was obtained between 2012 and 2013 from individual interviews with 943 teachers from public schools in Londrina, Brazil. Statistical analysis was performed in 2014 using a logistic regression model adjusted for sociodemographic, lifestyle, depression, and working conditions variables. The prevalence of CP was 31.9%. No statistically significant association was observed between PA and CP. In the adjusted analyses, CP was associated with time > 60 minutes/day spent watching television (odds ratio [OR] = 1.39, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.03, 1.89) on weekdays. In analyses stratified according to body areas affected by CP, only pain in the lower limbs was associated with more time watching television (OR = 1.62, 95% CI 1.06, 2.47). Watching television on a weekday for > 60 minutes is a sedentary behavior associated with a greater likelihood of teachers having chronic pain, especially in the lower limbs. This association was observed independently of the main confounders such as sex, age, leisure time physical activity, depression and working conditions.

Physical activity levels and related energy expenditure during COVID-19 quarantine among the sicilian active population: A cross-sectional online survey study

Abstract: Background: During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the Italian government has adopted containment measures to control the virus’s spread, including limitations to the practice of physical activity (PA). The aim of this study was to estimate the levels of PA, expressed as energy expenditure (MET–minute/week), among the physically active Sicilian population before and during the last seven days of the COVID-19 quarantine. Furthermore, the relation between this parameter and specific demographic and anthropometric variables was analyzed. Methods: 802 Sicilian physically active participants (mean age: 32.27 ± 12.81 years; BMI: 23.44 ± 3.33 kg/m2) were included in the study and grouped based on gender, age and BMI. An adapted version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire—short form (IPAQ-SF) was administered to the participants through an online survey. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test and the Kruskal-Wallis rank-sum test were used for statistical analyses. Results: As expected, we observed a significant decrease of the total weekly energy expenditure during the COVID-19 quarantine (p < 0.001). A significant variation in the MET–min/wk in the before quarantine condition (p = 0.046) and in the difference between before and during quarantine (p = 0.009) was found for males and females. The male group decreased the PA level more than the female one. Moreover, a significant difference in the MET–min/wk was found among groups distributions of BMI (p < 0.001, during quarantine) and of age (p < 0.001, both before and during quarantine). In particular, the highest and the lowest levels of PA were reported by the young and the elderly, respectively, both before and during quarantine. Finally, the overweight group showed the lowest level of PA during quarantine. Conclusion: Based on our outcomes, we can determine that the current quarantine has negatively affected the practice of PA, with greater impacts among males and overweight subjects. In regards to different age groups, the young, young adults and adults were more affected than senior adults and the elderly.

Systematic review on the association of abdominal obesity in children and adolescents with cardio-metabolic risk factors.

Abstract: Background: The adverse health effects of abdominal obesity are well documented in adults, but such association remains to be determined in the pediatric age group. This study aims to perform a systematic review on the association between abdominal obesity and cardio-metabolic factors such as dyslipidemia, hypertension, and hyperglycemia among children and adolescents.Materials and Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted using PubMed, Scopus and Google Scholar databases to May 2014. Two independent reviewers identified relevant papers in several steps. After studying the titles and texts of documents,repeated and irrelevant ones were excluded. The search was refined to the English language. We did not consider any time limitation.Studies with different measuring methods of abdominal obesity were included. Studies with abdominal obese patients secondary to other disease were excluded from the study. In final, the data of association of cardio-metabolic risk factors and abdominal obesity extracted from studies. Results: Overall, 3966 articles were reviewed, and 61 of them were studied according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Waist circumference (WC), waist-to-height ratio, and waist-to-hip ratio were the most common indexes used for defining abdominal obesity. The association of high blood pressure with increasing WC was seen in several studies. The association of other cardio-metabolic risk factors was seen in some studies. Conclusion: Whatever the definition used for abdominal obesity and whatever the methods used for anthropometric measurements, central body fat deposition in children and adolescents increases the risk of cardio-metabolic risk factors. Therefore, more attention should be paid to abdominal obesity of children and adolescents both in clinical practice and in epidemiological studies. Key words: Cardio-metabolic risk factors, central fat deposition, obesity, pediatric age group

Exercise-induced hypoalgesia: A meta-analysis of exercise dosing for the treatment of chronic pain.

Abstract: Objective Increasing evidence purports exercise as a first-line therapeutic for the treatment of nearly all forms of chronic pain. However, knowledge of efficacious dosing respective to treatment modality and pain condition is virtually absent in the literature. The purpose of this analysis was to calculate the extent to which exercise treatment shows dose-dependent effects similar to what is seen with pharmacological treatments. Methods A recently published comprehensive review of exercise and physical activity for chronic pain in adults was identified in May 2017. This report reviewed different physical activity and exercise interventions and their effectiveness in reducing pain severity and found overall modest effects of exercise in the treatment of pain. We analyzed this existing data set, focusing specifically on the dose of exercise intervention in these studies. We re-analyzed data from 75 studies looking at benefits of time of exercising per week, frequency of exercise per week, duration of intervention (in weeks), and estimated intensity of exercise. Results Analysis revealed a significant positive correlation with exercise duration and analgesic effect on neck pain. Multiple linear regression modeling of these data predicted that increasing the frequency of exercise sessions per week is most likely to have a positive effect on chronic pain patients. Discussion Modest effects were observed with one significant correlation between duration and pain effect for neck pain. Overall, these results provide insufficient evidence to conclude the presence of a strong dose effect of exercise in pain, but our modeling data provide tes predictions that can be used to design future studies to explicitly test the question of dose in specific patient populations.

ERICA: prevalence of metabolic syndrome in Brazilian adolescents

Abstract: OBJECTIVE To determine the prevalence of metabolic syndrome and its components in Brazilian adolescents. METHODS We evaluated 37,504 adolescents who were participants in the Study of Cardiovascular Risks in Adolescents (ERICA), a cross-sectional, school-based, national study. The adolescents, aged from 12 to 17 years, lived in cities with populations greater than 100,000 inhabitants. The sample was stratified and clustered into schools and classes. The criteria set out by the International Diabetes Federation were used to define metabolic syndrome. Prevalences of metabolic syndrome were estimated according to sex, age group, school type and nutritional status. RESULTS Of the 37,504 adolescents who were evaluated: 50.2% were female; 54.3% were aged from 15 to 17 years, and 73.3% were from public schools. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 2.6% (95%CI 2.3-2.9), slightly higher in males and in those aged from 15 to 17 years in most macro-regions. The prevalence was the highest in residents from the South macro-region, in the younger female adolescents and in the older male adolescents. The prevalence was higher in public schools (2.8% [95%CI 2.4-3.2]), when compared with private schools (1.9% [95%CI 1.4-2.4]) and higher in obese adolescents when compared with nonobese ones. The most common combinations of components, referring to 3/4 of combinations, were: enlarged waist circumference (WC), low HDL-cholesterol (HDL-c) and high blood pressure; followed by enlarged WC, low HDL-c and high triglycerides; and enlarged WC, low HDL-c, high triglycerides and blood pressure. Low HDL was the second most frequent component, but the highest prevalence of metabolic syndrome (26.8%) was observed in the presence of high triglycerides. CONCLUSIONS ERICA is the first Brazilian nation-wide study to present the prevalence of metabolic syndrome and describe the role of its components. Despite the prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome being low, the high prevalences of some components and participation of others in the syndrome composition shows the importance of early diagnosis of this changes, even if not grouped within the metabolic syndrome.