title: Leisure Time Physical Activity and Cardio-Metabolic Health: Results From the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil).
abstract: Although increasing effort has been devoted to the promotion of a healthy lifestyle such as leisure time physical activity for cardio-metabolic health, specific evidence supporting health policy remains sparse, particularly in those ethnically diverse populations where cardio-metabolic diseases are reaching epidemic proportion and yet are grossly understudied.
  
  
  
  We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of the baseline data from 10 585 participants aged 35 to 74 free of cardiovascular diseases in the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health. Leisure time physical activity status was defined by the American Heart Association and the World Health Organization recommendations (≥150 min/week moderate activities or 75 min/week vigorous activities). In total, 1183 (21%) women and 1387 (29%) men were active. After accounting for covariates, the favorable effects of leisure time physical activity on cardio-metabolic parameters were evident. Specifically, the average blood pressure, heart rate, and Framingham Risk Score for cardiovascular diseases of the active were significantly lower within each sex. The ORs comparing the active versus the inactive women were 0.78 (95% CI: 0.66-0.92) for hypertension and 0.78 (95% CI: 0.65-0.93) for cardiovascular diseases in 10 years. Among men, the ORs were 0.75 (95% CI: 0.65-0.87) for hypertension and 0.73 (95% CI: 0.61-0.87) for diabetes. The 10-year risk of cardiovascular diseases was significantly lower among the active men with a 33% reduction (OR=0.67, 95% CI: 0.57-0.78).
  
  
  
  We observed beneficial effects of leisure time physical activity on cardio-metabolic health in this large Brazilian population that are consistent with studies in North America and Europe.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Brown University, Providence, RI.
authors.forename: Xiaochen
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Saúde Coletiva, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, Brazil.
authors.forename: Sheila M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Alvim
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Management and Informatics, University of Missouri School of Medicine, Columbia, MO.
authors.forename: Eduardo J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Simoes
authors.affiliation: Center for Clinical and Epidemiological Research, University of São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Isabela M
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Bensenor
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine and Hospital das Clínicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
authors.forename: Sandhi M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Barreto
authors.affiliation: Hospital de Clínicas and Faculty of Medicine, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
authors.forename: Maria I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.affiliation: Hospital das Clínicas and Faculty of Medicine, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
authors.forename: Antonio L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Ribeiro
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Educação Física, Faculdade de Educação, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, Brazil.
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pitanga
authors.affiliation: Gonçalo Moniz Research Center, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Salvador, Brazil.
authors.forename: Maria Conceição C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Almeida
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Brown University, Providence, RI Center for Global Cardio-metabolic Health, Brown University, Providence, RI Division of Endocrinology, Department of Medicine, Alpert School of Medicine and Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, RI simin_liu@brown.edu palotufo@usp.br.
authors.forename: Simin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Center for Clinical and Epidemiological Research, University of São Paulo, Brazil simin_liu@brown.edu palotufo@usp.br.
authors.forename: Paulo A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Lotufo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D004522:Educational Status; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D000070497:Healthy Lifestyle / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D007899:Leisure Activities; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008659:Metabolic Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008875:Middle Aged
keywords: Brazil; cardio‐metabolic health; physical exercise