Rio de Janeiro State University

About: Rio de Janeiro State University is a education organization based out in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Large Hadron Collider. The organization has 16631 authors who have published 30919 publications receiving 465753 citations. The organization is also known as: UERJ & Rio de Janeiro State University.

Effects of COVID-19 home confinement on physical activity and eating behaviour Preliminary results of the ECLB-COVID19 international online-survey

Abstract: Background Public health recommendations and governmental measures during the COVID-19 pandemic have enforced numerous restrictions on daily living including social distancing, isolation and home confinement. While these measures are imperative to abate the spreading of COVID-19, the impact of these restrictions on health behaviours and lifestyle at home is undefined. Therefore, an international online survey was launched in April 2020 in seven languages to elucidate the behavioral and lifestyle consequences of COVID-19 restrictions. This report presents the preliminary results from the first thousand responders on physical activity (PA) and nutrition behaviours. Methods Thirty-five research organisations from Europe, North-Africa, Western Asia and the Americas promoted the survey through their networks to the general society, in English, German, French, Arabic, Spanish, Portugese, and Slovenian languages. Questions were presented in a differential format with questions related to responses before and during confinement conditions. Results 1047 replies (54% women) from Asia (36%), Africa (40%), Europe (21%) and other (3%) were included into a general analysis. The COVID-19 home confinement had a negative effect on all intensities of PA (vigorous, moderate, walking and overall). Conversely, daily sitting time increased from 5 to 8 hours per day. Additionally, food consumption and meal patterns (the type of food, eating out of control, snacks between meals, number of meals) were more unhealthy during confinement with only alcohol binge drink decreasing significantly. Conclusion While isolation is a necessary measure to protect public health, our results indicate that it alters physical activity and eating behaviours in a direction that would compromise health. A more detailed analysis of survey data will allow for a segregation of these responses in different age groups, countries and other subgroups which will help develop bespoke interventions to mitigate the negative lifestyle behaviors manifest during the COVID-19 confinement.

Genetic services and testing in Brazil

Abstract: The Federative Republic of Brazil is a country of continental dimensions, whose territory covers more than 8.5 million km2 and borders all the countries of South America except for Chile and Ecuador. After more than three centuries as a colony of Portugal, it became an independent monarchy in 1822 and a federal republic in 1889. It was under a 20-year long military dictatorship on the second half of last century, and today, after six presidential elections, the country has emerged as a consolidated democracy and as a political and economic leader in the region. The Brazilian economy also acquired a strong position in the global economy in recent years (IBGE 2010; United Nations 2010). It is defined as an upper middle-income country, but inequality remains significant, according to Human Development Report (UNDP 2009). Brazil is distinguished by an admirable national unity, based mainly in the Portuguese language, which is spoken in all regions, and by a magnificent biodiversity and natural resources. The agriculture is large and well-developed, while mining, manufacturing, and service sectors are having a significant growth. Notwithstanding, the country still faces economical, political, and social problems, whose paramount example is the highly unequal income distribution (IBGE 2010; United Nations 2010). In the past decades, with health improvement of the population in general, due to more effective sanitation and better control of infectious and nutritional diseases, it can be stated that Brazil has been living an epidemiological transition. Taking such statement into consideration, birth defects and genetic diseases are increasingly assuming a more important role in morbidity and mortality, especially in large centers and reference hospitals (Horovitz et al. 2005). This paper presents the background data on basic demographic statistics, health indicators and health expenditure, and information on the genetic services and genetic testing available in the country.