Dartagnan Pinto Guedes

Background: Recent evidence supports the hypothesis that adherence to the 24-Hour Movement Guidelines (24-HMG) is associated with both mental health and weight status, while excess body weight plays an important role in youth mental health. Accordingly, weight status may mediate the association between adherence to the 24-HMG and mental health outcomes, particularly depressive, anxiety, and stress symptoms. Objective: To identify associations between adherence to the 24-HMG and mental health outcomes among basic education students and subsequently explore the mediating role of weight status in these associations. Methods: This school-based observational study included 1,022 students aged 11-19 years (mean age, 14.9 ± 2.5 years; 51.5% girls). A structured questionnaire was administered to assess physical activity, sedentary behavior, and sleep duration. Mental health outcomes were assessed using the DASS-21. Weight status was determined based on body mass index. Structural equation modeling was used to examine direct and indirect pathways, adjusting for relevant covariates. Results: Path analysis showed that weight status was positively associated with depressive symptoms (β = 0.196 [95% CI 0.117 to 0.288]; p = 0.023), anxiety symptoms (β = 0.179 [95% CI 0.108 to 0.263]; p = 0.028), and stress symptoms (β = 0.147 [95% CI 0.079 to 0.228]; p = 0.041), indicating that students with overweight or obesity tended to have poorer mental health. Similarly, the number of 24-HMG met was inversely associated with depressive symptoms (β = −0.319 [95% CI −0.448 to −0.177]; p < 0.001), anxiety symptoms (β = −0.278 [95% CI −0.391 to −0.153]; p = 0.001), and stress symptoms (β = −0.251 [95% CI, −0.353 to −0.131]; p = 0.012), suggesting that meeting a greater number of healthy movement behavior guidelines was associated with lower levels of psychological distress. In addition, a mediating role of weight status was observed in the associations between adherence to the 24-HMG and depressive symptoms (β = 0.006 [95% CI 0.004 to 0.010]) and anxiety symptoms (β = 0.004 [95% CI 0.002 to 0.007]). Conclusion: The findings indicate that students who met a greater number of the 24-HMG reported better mental health outcomes. Although weight status was independently associated with depressive, anxiety, and stress symptoms, its mediating role was limited, suggesting that other unmeasured mediators may have played a more substantial role.

Previous studies have suggested that the COVID-19 pandemic exposed children to an increased risk of greater body weight accumulation; however, the evidence found is limited to examining relatively short periods in children from Asian, European, and North American countries and, in most cases, using cross-sectional designs, while studies with longitudinal designs are scarce. To our knowledge, to date, no study involving Brazilian children has examined temporal trends in body weight during the pandemic period using a longitudinal approach. Objective: To report the weight status of children aged 6 to 11 years pre-, during, and post-school closures in response to restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, using a six-year school-based longitudinal cohort design (2020–2025). Method: Weight status was analyzed using the body mass index and diagnostic criteria proposed by IOFT. Initial data collection took place in 2020 (baseline—pre-school closures), in 2021 and 2022 (pandemic period—school closures), and in 2023, 2024, and 2025 (post-pandemic period—after the reopening of schools). Results: The data collected confirmed that restrictions imposed to mitigate the adverse impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the full or partial closure of schools, substantially increased children’s weight above what would be expected for their gender and age. After two years of the pandemic period, 23% of children identified in the baseline pre-school closures with normal body weight migrated to overweight, while 34% of overweight children became obese. Data equivalent to the post-pandemic period showed signs of a reduction in the excess body weight accumulated during the pandemic; however, the prevalence rates of overweight and obesity remained significantly higher than pre-school closures. Conclusions: The findings suggest that the harmful effects contributing to the greater accumulation of body weight during the COVID-19 pandemic tended not to reverse spontaneously, even five years after its onset. Therefore, specific actions to prevent, combat, and control overweight and obesity are essential to avoid present and future adverse consequences for children’s health.

Previous studies suggested that the COVID-19 pandemic exposed children to an increased risk of greater body weight accumulation; however, the evidence found is limited to examining relatively short periods in children from Asian, European, or North American countries and, in most cases, using cross-sectional designs, while studies with longitudinal designs are scarce. To our knowledge, to date, no study involving Brazilian children has examined temporal trends in body weight during the pandemic period using a longitudinal approach. Objective: To report temporal trends in the weight status of children aged 6 to 11 years prior, during, and post-school closures in response to restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, using a six-year school-based cohort design (2020–2025). Method: Weight status was analyzed using the body mass index and diagnostic criteria proposed by IOFT. Initial data collection took place in 2020 (pre-pandemic period), in 2021 and 2022 (pandemic period), and in 2023, 2024, and 2025 (post-pandemic period), after the reopening of schools. Results: The data collected confirmed that restrictions imposed to mitigate the adverse impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the full or partial closure of schools, substantially increased children's weight above what would be expected for their gender and age. After two years of the pandemic period, 23% of children identified in the pre-pandemic period with normal body weight migrated to overweight, while 34% of overweight children became obese. Data equivalent to the post-pandemic period showed signs of a reduction in the excess body weight accumulated during the pandemic; however, the prevalence rates of overweight and obesity remained significantly higher than in the pre-pandemic period. Conclusion: The findings suggest that the harmful effects contributing to the greater accumulation of body weight during the COVID-19 pandemic were not reversed spontaneously, even five years after its onset. Therefore, specific actions to prevent, combat, and control overweight and obesity are essential to avoid present and future adverse consequences for children's health.

Introduction: Low levels of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) are associated with a greater risk of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in adolescence. In this sense, it is important to verify the strength of this association and the certainty that this evidence can be recommended. Objective: The objective of this paper is to summarize, through a systematic review and meta-analysis, the evidence available to verify the association between CRF and MetS in adolescents. Methods: PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, SPORTDiscus, LILACS, and Web of Science were searched until 20 August 2024. The risk of bias in each study was assessed via the AXIS tool, and the certainty of the evidence was assessed via the GRADE system. For the meta-analysis, the odds ratio (OR) was calculated with a 95% confidence interval. Results: Nine studies (7077 participants), all with a low risk of bias, were included in the systematic review. There was a high certainty of evidence that adolescents with low CRF have significantly greater odds of developing MetS (OR = 3.63 [CI 95%, 2.54 to 5.20]). The odds increase for low vs. moderate (OR = 4.23 [CI 95%, 2.64 to 6.78]) and low vs. high (OR = 8.03 [CI 95%, 3.20 to 20.18]) CRF are considered separately. The effect does not change according to the type of test used to assess CRF (p = 0.51). Conclusions: There is high certainty of evidence that adolescents with low CRF levels have significantly greater odds of developing MetS; therefore, it is essential that intervention strategies be designed to increase CRF in this population.

Background: Surveys conducted in different regions of the world show that the prevalence rates of health risk behaviors (HRBs) in university students are sometimes higher than those found in non-university populations. This study aims to identify the prevalence rates and demographic and academic environment correlates associated with HRBs among Brazilian university students. Methods: In a cross-sectional epidemiological study, a random sample of 5310 university students answered an online questionnaire, with demographic (sex, age, skin color, marital status, and paid work) and academic setting information (housing type, size of campus, year, and shift of study), as well as items clustered in four HRB domains: personal safety and violence, sexual behavior and contraception, addictive substance use, eating habits, physical activity, and sleep. The data were analyzed statistically using bivariate analysis and hierarchical multiple regression. Results: The highest prevalence rates occurred in HRBs clustered in the domain of eating habits, physical activity, and sleep (>60%), while HRBs for personal security and violence were less prevalent (<15%). From 15% to 35% of university students assumed HRBs regarding addictive substance use, and approximately 50% reported risky sexual behavior. The university students most susceptible to HRBs were men, aged ≥ 22 years, living far from their family, studying on larger campuses, attending night classes, and with two or more years of study at the university. Conclusion: The findings suggest that policies and interventions in the university context aimed at students’ readiness to engage in a healthy lifestyle should target specific correlates associated with HRBs.

A Revised Perceived Locus of Causality in Physical Education Scale (PLOC-R) é uma escala proposta à luz da Teoria de Autodeterminação para análise de regulações motivacionais de estudantes para aulas de educação física do ensino básico. Objetivo: traduzir e adaptar transculturalmente, disponibilizar formato online, identificar e comparar propriedades psicométricas dos formatos impresso e online, e verificar a capacidade de concordância entre dados levantados por ambos os formatos da PLOC-R. Métodos: Versão original foi traduzida e adaptada de acordo com recomendações internacionais. Formato online da escala foi construído por meio de aplicativo web e hospedado em site específico. Para identificar propriedades psicométricas e capacidade de concordância entre dados levantados por ambos os formatos foi selecionada amostra de estudantes com idade entre 12 e 18 anos de ambos os sexos de escolas públicas e privadas da cidade de Londrina, Paraná. Resultados: Após discretas modificações apontadas no processo de tradução, um comitê de juízes considerou que a versão traduzida da PLOC-R apresentou equivalências semântica, idiomática, cultural e conceitual. Validade de construto foi confirmada através de cinco subescalas originalmente proposta. Modelo teórico encontrado atendeu critérios propostos para ambos os formatos. Cargas fatoriais variaram de 0,71 a 0,86 e Alfa de Cronbach de 0,71 a 0,87. Réplica de aplicação da PLOC-R formatada nos modelos impresso e online mostraram elevada concordância (Kappa ≥ 0,70 e CCI ≥ 0,76). Conclusão: A PLOC-R traduzida e adaptada no atual estudo para uso nos formatos impresso e online alcançou similar desempenho psicométrico. Ainda, baseando-se nos graus de concordância observados depreende-se que, em geral, dados levantados por intermédio dos formatos impresso e online são comparáveis, o que viabiliza suas aplicações em futuros estudos no Brasil. Palavras-chave: Motivação; Autodeterminação; Educação Física; Escolares; Escala de Medida; Psicometria.