title: Association of knowledge, preventive counseling and personal health behaviors on physical activity and consumption of fruits or vegetables in community health workers.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There is evidence that if a health professional is active and has a healthy diet, he/she is more likely to advise patients about the benefits of physical activity and healthy eating The aims of this study were to: (1) describe the personal physical activity, consumption of fruits and vegetables behaviors and nutritional status of community health workers; (2) evaluate the association between knowledge, delivery of preventive counseling and personal behaviors among community health workers.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a cross-sectional study conducted in a nationally sample of health professionals working in primary health care settings in Brazil in 2011. This survey was part of the second phase of the Guide for Useful Interventions for Activity in Brazil and Latin America project, and data were collected through telephone interviews of 269 community health workers from the Unified Health Care system of Brazil. We applied questionnaires about personal reported behaviors, knowledge and preventive counseling in physical activity and consumption of fruits and vegetables. We calculated the prevalence and associations between the variables with logistic regression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The proportion of community health workers that practiced 150 minutes per week of physical activity in leisure time or transportation was high (64.9%). Half of community health workers were overweight and only 26.2% reported consuming five portions/day of fruits or vegetables. Most community health workers reported counseling about physical activity for more than six months (59.7%), and most were not knowledgeable of the fruits and vegetables and physical activity recommendations. Meeting the fruits and vegetables recommendations was associated with correct knowledge (OR = 4.5; CI95% 1.03;19.7), with reporting 150 minutes or more of physical activity per week (OR = 2.0; CI95% 1.03;3.7) and with reporting physical activity in leisure time (OR = 2.0; CI95% 1.05;3.6). Regular physical activity counseling was associated with reporting 10-149 minutes per week (OR = 3.8; CI95% 1.1;13.3) and with more than 150 minutes of physical activity per week (OR = 4.9; CI95% 1.5;16.5).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Actions to promote physical activity and healthy eating and to improve knowledge among community health workers within the health care system of Brazil could have a potential positive influence on delivery of preventive counseling to patients on this topic.
authors.affiliation: School of Arts, Sciences and Humanities, University of São Paulo, Rua Arlindo Bettio, 1.000, CEP: 03828-000, São Paulo, SP, Brazil. aflorind@usp.br.
authors.forename: Alex A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Florindo
authors.affiliation: Prevention Research Center in St. Louis, Brown School, Division of Public Health Sciences and Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center - Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. rbrownson@wustl.edu.
authors.forename: Ross C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Brownson
authors.affiliation: Postgraduate Program in Epidemiology, Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas, RS, Brazil. gregore.mielke@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Gregore I
authors.initials: GI
authors.lastname: Mielke
authors.affiliation: Department of Gerontology, Federal University of São Carlos, São Carlos, SP, Brazil. graceaogomes@yahoo.com.br.
authors.forename: Grace Ao
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Gomes
authors.affiliation: Program in Physical Therapy Surgery (Prevention and Control), School of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA. dparra@brownschool.wustl.edu.
authors.forename: Diana C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Parra
authors.affiliation: School of Physical Education, Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas, RS, Brazil. fcvsiqueira@uol.com.br.
authors.forename: Fernando V
authors.initials: FV
authors.lastname: Siqueira
authors.affiliation: Hubert Department of Global Health, Emory University - Rollins School of Public Health, Atlanta, USA. rlobelo@emory.edu.
authors.forename: Felipe
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lobelo
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Management and Informatics, School of Medicine, University of Missouri, Missouri, USA. simoese@health.missouri.edu.
authors.forename: Eduardo J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Simoes
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Medicine, Federal University of Sao Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil. lrr@uol.com.br.
authors.forename: Luiz R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Ramos
authors.affiliation: Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein; Hospital Municipal Dr. Moysés Deutsch - M'Boi Mirim, São Paulo, SP, Brazil. mario.bracco@einstein.br.
authors.forename: Mário M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Bracco
authors.affiliation: School of Physical Education, Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas, RS, Brazil. prchallal@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Pedro C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Hallal
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001938:Brazil; D003150:Community Health Workers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003376:Counseling / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D005638:Fruit; D015438:Health Behavior; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009752:Nutritional Status; D011320:Primary Health Care; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014675:Vegetables; D055815:Young Adult