Level of physical activity, cardiorespiratory fitness and nutritional status of higher education institution servers

Abstract

Objective: to evaluate the level of physical activity, cardiorespiratory fitness and nutritional status of Brazilian higher education institution servers. Method: 134 public servants (80 men and 54 women) were evaluated to estimate body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), waist/hip ratio (WHR), aerobic fitness and blood pressure at rest. Results: most of the servers were classified as insufficiently active (62%). BMI results show a high prevalence of obesity (39% mild and 33% moderate). WC showed a prevalence of high (30%) and very high risk (27%), and WHR showed a prevalence of high (28%) or very high risk (12%). The ergometric test showed that 41% of the servers presented very poor (17%) or poor (24%) aerobic fitness and 23%, regular aerobic fitness. Considering blood pressure, 15% of the servers presented blood pressure considered as borderline and 30% considered as hypertension. No associations were found between physical condition (active or inactive) with WC (χ2 = 3.4, p = 0.179), WHR (χ2 = 7.0, p = 0.073), aerobic fitness (χ2 = 4.3, p = 0.368) and blood pressure (χ2 = 2.9, p = 0.734). Although no association was observed between physical activity and BMI (χ2 = 7.6, p = 0.062), significance values (p < 0.07) suggested an association trend, with worse ratings for the sedentary group. Closing remarks: among higher education institution servers, there is high prevalence of physical inactivity, obesity and risk factors, and the majority of the sample had aerobic fitness below recommended levels.