Priorities in health: what do they mean to Brazilian adults?
We aimed to evaluate how Brazilian adults rank seven well-known health-related factors in terms of importance for health. A population-based study was undertaken in Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil (N = 3,100; response rate: 96.5%). Individuals ranked three out of seven factors that, in their opinion, were the most important for health. The factors investigated were: "controlling stress", "practicing physical activity regularly", "avoiding drinking in excess", "avoiding smoking", "visiting a doctor regularly", "keeping the ideal weight", and "having a healthy diet". Healthy diet (73.9%), physical activity (59.9%), and visiting a doctor regularly (45.7%) were the most frequently reported factors. Younger subjects and those with higher socioeconomic status were more likely to report physical activity and stress as important factors for health than their counterparts. The importance attributed to health-related factors changes markedly among population subgroups.
Reichert
Felipe Fossati
FF
Escola Superior de Educação Física, Universidade Federal de Pelotas, Rua Luiz de Camões 625, Pelotas, Brazil. ffreichert@gmail.com
Domingues
Marlos Rodrigues
MR
Hallal
Pedro C
PC
Azevedo
Mario Renato
MR
Siqueira
Fernando Vinholes
FV
Barros
Aluísio J D
AJ
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001294:Attitude to Health; D001938:Brazil; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D055815:Young Adult