Background:
Among numerous factors linked to
nutrition transition globally,
physical inactivity has been identified as a key triggering factor. At present, little is known about
physical activity patterns among the
Indigenous population in
Brazil, which exhibits higher
prevalence rates of excess weight than the non-
Indigenous population. The present study aims to characterize
physical inactivity and associated
socioeconomic factors among members of two Xavante villages in Central
Brazil.
Methods:
This study
population included individuals ≥ 18 years of age residing in Pimentel Barbosa and Etênhiritipá villages, Pimentel Barbosa Indigenous Reserve, Mato Grosso
State,
Brazil.
Physical activity data were collected in February 2011 using an adaptation of the short version of the International
Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). Bivariate and
multivariate analyses were conducted to assess
associations between variables.
Results:
Of a total eligible
population of 256
adults, 82.4 % participated in the study. The overall
prevalence of
physical inactivity was 17.5 %, markedly lower than has been described using
similar methods for the global and overall Brazilian
populations. The
prevalence rates of
overweight and
obesity were 52.1 and 21.8 %, respectively.
Physical inactivity was more prevalent among
males (22.4 %) than
females (14.4 %), although this difference was not statistically significant. In the final multivariate model,
physical inactivity was more prevalent among individuals ≥ 60 years of age (PR 2.00, CI95% 1.02-3.92) and members of households with a
television (PR 1.76, CI95% 1.01-3.05). Individuals in households that planted a
garden the prior year were less likely to be physically inactive, although the level of significance was slightly greater than 0.05 (PR 0.55, CI95% 0.29-1.01).
Conclusions:
Our findings suggest that the Xavante pattern of
physical inactivity differs from the country's non-
Indigenous population in that age-related increases appear later in
life and subsistence activities contribute importantly.
Physical inactivity among
Indigenous peoples in
Brazil deserves greater
attention due to indications it is not always related to
nutrition transition in the same manner as in non-Indigenous populations.
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