Use of Objective Methods in the Evaluation of Physical Activity of Brazilian Workers: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Introduction: Quantifying the level of physical activity (PA) in the working-age population has been necessary, as sedentary lifestyle comprises one of the most important risk factors in today's society. However, for this quantification there are both subjective and objective methods, which, due to their different characteristics, can produce discrepant results.

Objective: To verify the use of objective methods for assessing the physical activity (PA) of Brazilian workers.

Methods: A search was conducted in the Lilacs, Scielo and Pubmed databases, with original articles published in the last 10 years on Brazilian workers. After checking the inclusion and exclusion criteria, four articles were selected. It is noteworthy that among the inclusion criteria, the articles should be original and assess the level of PA; use an objective technique of the PA level; adopt detailed methodology; and be carried out with Brazilian workers. And the exclusion criteria adopted were repeated articles; review articles; and those that did not meet the inclusion criteria.

Results: Four articles were selected, of which two used the pedometer measurement to assess PA and two used the frequency meter. The studies had a varied age range (young adults up to the third age) and were conducted in two different regions of the country (Southeast and Midwest). As the main findings of the studies, it was found that the number of daily steps is associated with cardiovascular risk factors among workers and that the activity performed is associated with cardiovascular load and heart rate variability.

Conclusion: Only four studies were found using objective methods with Brazilian workers, which highlights the use of pedometer and frequency meter in the studies.