Aggregation of risk indicators to cardiometabolic and musculoskeletal health in Brazilian adolescents in the periods 2008/09 and 2013/14

Abstract

Objective: To assess the occurrence of an aggregate risk to cardiometabolic and musculoskeletal health of Brazilian adolescents in the period 2008/09 and 2013/14 and to identify whether there are differences in risk between the genders and in these periods. Methods: This was a trend epidemiological study with a quantitative approach, consisting of a voluntary sample of adolescents from 16 Brazilian states. Data were extracted from the database of Brazil Sports Project (Projeto Esporte Brasil). Health‐related physical fitness was evaluated based on body mass index, cardiorespiratory fitness, flexibility, and abdominal strength/resistance. Descriptive analysis, chi‐squared test, and Poisson log regression were used for the statistical treatment. Results: In the years 2008/09, 14.6% of Brazilian youngsters showed an aggregate risk to cardiometabolic health and 17.1% an aggregate risk for musculoskeletal indicators, whereas in 2013/14, the values of the risk indicators were, respectively 40.0% and 22.4%. It was observed that, in the years 2013/14, the risk to the cardiometabolic health of boys was 2.51 times greater than in 2008/09, while for girls, a three‐fold increase in risk was observed. Concerning musculoskeletal health, girls showed a 2.21 risk of being in the risk zone in 2013/14 when compared with 2008/09. Conclusion: The occurrence of an aggregate risk to the cardiometabolic and musculoskeletal health of Brazilian adolescents increased in the 2008/09 and 2013/14 periods. Regarding gender, an increase in the cardiometabolic and musculoskeletal risk between these periods was observed in girls. As for boys, an increase was observed only in cardiometabolic risk.

Keywords

• Health
• Physical fitness
• Obesity