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Percorrer por autor "Ornelas, Rui"

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  • Caracterização das lesões numa equipa do futebol profissional português
    Publication . Martins, Francisco; Santos, Francisco; Caldeira, Romualdo; Henriques, Ricardo; França, Cíntia; Ornelas, Rui; Gouveia, Élvio Rúbio
    O futebol profissional caracteriza-se pelas suas exigências físicas, fazendo com que a exposição dos jogadores a riscos elevados de lesão seja uma problemática em ascensão. O objetivo deste estudo é caracterizar as lesões de uma equipa profissional de futebol ao longo de uma época. Trinta e seis atletas do sexo masculino, enquadrados na 1.ª Liga Portuguesa de Futebol, foram acompanhados ao longo da época desportiva 2020/2021. Caracterizou-se uma lesão desportiva como a incapacidade demonstrada pelo atleta, devido a um momento de treino ou jogo, que exigiu intervenção médica ou interrupção parcial ou total da sua atividade desportiva. No total, 34 lesões foram registadas. Cada jogador falhou em média 14.3 dias devido a lesão. As lesões mais recorrentes foram as entorses (35.3%) e as lesões musculares (35.3%), sendo os membros inferiores a zona do corpo mais afetada (85.29%). As lesões ocorreram maioritariamente em treino (58.8%) e as de jogo registaram-se sobretudo nos últimos 15 minutos (57.14%). Os resultados obtidos neste estudo vêm auxiliar o staff técnico das equipas profissionais de futebol na identificação de fatores de risco associados às lesões no futebol profissional. O estudo desta temática é fundamental para a otimização dos protocolos de prevenção e de recuperação de lesões.
    2022Artigo científico Acesso aberto Ver mais
  • A century of trends in adult human height
    Publication . NCD Risk Factor Collaboration; Ornelas, Rui
    Being taller is associated with enhanced longevity, and higher education and earnings. We reanalysed 1472 population-based studies, with measurement of height on more than 18.6 million participants to estimate mean height for people born between 1896 and 1996 in 200 countries. The largest gain in adult height over the past century has occurred in South Korean women and Iranian men, who became 20.2 cm (95% credible interval 17.5–22.7) and 16.5 cm (13.3– 19.7) taller, respectively. In contrast, there was little change in adult height in some sub-Saharan African countries and in South Asia over the century of analysis. The tallest people over these 100 years are men born in the Netherlands in the last quarter of 20th century, whose average heights surpassed 182.5 cm, and the shortest were women born in Guatemala in 1896 (140.3 cm; 135.8– 144.8). The height differential between the tallest and shortest populations was 19-20 cm a century ago, and has remained the same for women and increased for men a century later despite substantial changes in the ranking of countries.
    2016Artigo científico Acesso aberto Ver mais
  • Contributions of mean and shape of blood pressure distribution to worldwide trends and variations in raised blood pressure: a pooled analysis of 1018 population-based measurement studies with 88.6 million participants
    Publication . NCD Risk Factor Collaboration; Ornelas, Rui
    Background: Change in the prevalence of raised blood pressure could be due to both shifts in the entire distribution of blood pressure (representing the combined effects of public health interventions and secular trends) and changes in its high-blood-pressure tail (representing successful clinical interventions to control blood pressure in the hyper tensive population). Our aim was to quantify the contributions of these two phenomena to the worldwide trends in the prevalence of raised blood pressure. Methods: We pooled 1018 population-based studies with blood pressure measurements on 88.6 million participants from 1985 to 2016. We first calculated mean systolic blood pressure (SBP), mean diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and prevalence of raised blood pressure by sex and 10-year age group from 20–29 years to 70–79 years in each study, taking into account complex survey design and survey sample weights, where rele vant. We used a linear mixed effect model to quantify the association between (probit transformed) prevalence of raised blood pressure and age-group- and sex-specific mean blood pressure. We calculated the contributions of change in mean SBP and DBP, and of change in the prevalence-mean association, to the change in prevalence of raised blood pressure. Results: In 2005–16, at the same level of population mean SBP and DBP, men and women in South Asia and in Central Asia, the Middle East and North Africa would have the highest prevalence of raised blood pressure, and men and women in the high income Asia Pacific and high-income Western regions would have the lowest. In most region-sex-age groups where the prevalence of raised blood pressure declined, one half or more of the decline was due to the decline in mean blood pressure. Where prevalence of raised blood pressure has increased, the change was entirely driven by increasing mean blood pressure, offset partly by the change in the prevalence-mean association. Conclusions: Change in mean blood pressure is the main driver of the worldwide change in the prevalence of raised blood pressure, but change in the high-blood-pressure tail of the distribution has also contributed to the change in prevalence, especially in older age groups.
    2018Artigo científico Acesso aberto Ver mais
  • 2017Capítulo de livro Acesso aberto Ver mais
  • Diminishing benefits of urban living for children and adolescents’ growth and development
    Publication . NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (NCD-RisC); Ornelas, Rui
    Optimal growth and development in childhood and adolescence is crucial for lifelong health and well-being1–6 . Here we used data from 2,325 population-based studies, with measurements of height and weight from 71 million participants, to report the height and body-mass index (BMI) of children and adolescents aged 5–19 years on the basis of rural and urban place of residence in 200 countries and territories from 1990 to 2020. In 1990, children and adolescents residing in cities were taller than their rural counterparts in all but a few high-income countries. By 2020, the urban height advantage became smaller in most countries, and in many high-income western countries it reversed into a small urban-based disadvantage. The exception was for boys in most countries in sub-Saharan Africa and in some countries in Oceania, south Asia and the region of central Asia, Middle East and north Africa. In these countries, successive cohorts of boys from rural places either did not gain height or possibly became shorter, and hence fell further behind their urban peers. The difference between the age-standardized mean BMI of children in urban and rural areas was <1.1 kg m–2 in the vast majority of countries. Within this small range, BMI increased slightly more in cities than in rural areas, except in south Asia, sub-Saharan Africa and some countries in central and eastern Europe. Our results show that in much of the world, the growth and developmental advantages of living in cities have diminished in the twenty-first century, whereas in much of sub-Saharan Africa they have amplified.
    2023Artigo científico Acesso aberto Ver mais
  • Effects of diabetes definition on global surveillance of diabetes prevalence and diagnosis: a pooled analysis of 96 population-based studies with 331 288 participants
    Publication . Danaei, G; Fahimi, S; Lu, Y; Zhou, B; Hajifathalian, K; Di Cesare, M; Lo, WC; Reis-Santos, B; Cowan, MJ; Shaw, JE; Bentham, J; Mohammad, K; Mohan, V; Mohd Yusoff, MF; Møller, NC; Molnár, D; Aguilar-Salinas, CA; Mondo, CK; Moreno, LA; Morgan, K; El Ati, J; Jonas, JB; Moschonis, G; Mossakowska, M; Mostafa, A; Mota, J; Muiesan, ML; Müller-Nurasyid, M; Mursu, J; Ahmadvand, A; Nagel, G; Námešná, J; Joshi, P; Elosua, R; Nang, EE; Nangia, VB; Navarrete-Muñoz, EM; Ndiaye, NC; Nervi, F; Nguyen, ND; Nieto-Martínez, RE; Alvarado, L; Al Nsour, M; Kafatos, A; Ning, G; Lin, JK; Ninomiya, T; Noale, M; Noto, D; Ochoa-Avilés, M; Oh, K; Onat, A; Osmond, C; Otero, JA; Kalter-Leibovici, O; Palmieri, L; Alkerwi, A; Erasmus, RT; Panda-Jonas, S; Panza, F; Parsaeian, M; Peixoto, SV; Pereira, AC; Peters, A; Peykari, N; Kasaeian, A; Pilav, A; Pitakaka, F; Piwonska, A; Erem, C; Amouyel, P; Piwonski, J; Plans-Rubió, P; Porta, M; Portegies, ML; Poustchi, H; Katz, J; Pradeepa, R; Price, JF; Punab, M; Qasrawi, RF; Ergor, G; Qorbani, M; Andersen, L. B.; Raitakari, O; Ramachandra Rao, S; Ramachandran, A; Kaur, P; Ramos, R; Rampal, S; Rathmann, W; Redon, J; Reganit, PF; Eriksen, L; Rigo, F; Robinson, SM; Anderssen, S. A.; Robitaille, C; Kavousi, M; Rodríguez, LA; Rodríguez-Artalejo, F; del Cristo Rodriguez-Perez, M; Rojas-Martinez, R; Romaguera, D; Rosengren, A; Escobedo-de la Peña, J; Rubinstein, A; Ornelas, Rui; Ruiz-Betancourt, BS; Kelishadi, R; Andrade, DS; Rutkowski, M; Sabanayagam, C; Sachdev, HS; Saidi, O; Sakarya, S; Salanave, B; Fall, CH; Salonen, JT; Salvetti, M; Ali, MK; Sánchez-Abanto, J; Santos, RN; Anjana, RM; Santos, R; Sardinha, LB; Scazufca, M; Schargrodsky, H; Scheidt-Nave, C; Farzadfar, F; Shaw, JE; Dhana, K; Shibuya, K; Shin, Y; Shiri, R; Siantar, R; Aounallah-Skhiri, H; Sibai, AM; Simon, M; Simons, J; Simons, LA; Felix-Redondo, FJ; Kengne, AP; Sjostrom, M; Slowikowska-Hilczer, J; Slusarczyk, P; Smeeth, L; Snijder, MB; Solfrizzi, V; Aris, T; Sonestedt, E; Soumare, A; Staessen, JA; Kersting, M; Ferguson, TS; Steene-Johannessen, J; Stehle, P; Stein, AD; Stessman, J; Stöckl, D; Stokwiszewski, J; Strufaldi, MW; Arlappa, N; Sun, CA; Khader, YS; Sundström, J; Fernández-Bergés, D; Suriyawongpaisal, P; Sy, RG; Tai, ES; Tarawneh, M; Tarqui-Mamani, CB; Thijs, L; Tolstrup, JS; Topbas, M; Khang, YH; Arveiler, D; Torrent, M; Bixby, H; Traissac, P; Trinh, OT; Tulloch-Reid, MK; Tuomainen, TP; Turley, ML; Tzourio, C; Ueda, P; Kiechl, S; Ukoli, FM; Ulmer, H; Assah, FK; Ferrari, M; Valdivia, G; van Valkengoed, IG; Vanderschueren, D; Vanuzzo, D; Vega, T; Velasquez-Melendez, G; Kim, J; Veronesi, G; Verschuren, M; Vioque, J; Virtanen, J; Ferreccio, C; Avdicová, M; Visvikis-Siest, S; Viswanathan, B; Vollenweider, P; Voutilainen, S; Kiyohara, Y; Wade, AN; Wagner, A; Walton, J; Mohamud, WN; Wang, MD; Finn, JD; Wang, YX; Balakrishna, N; Wannamethee, SG; Weerasekera, D; Kolsteren, P; Whincup, PH; Widhalm, K; Wiecek, A; Wilks, RJ; Willeit, J; Wojtyniak, B; Föger, B; Wong, TY; Woo, J; Bandosz, P; Korrovits, P; Woodward, M; Wu, AG; Wu, FC; Wu, SL; Xu, H; Yang, X; Ye, X; Foo, LH; Yoshihara, A; Younger-Coleman, NO; Koskinen, S; Zambon, S; Barbagallo, CM; Zargar, AH; Zdrojewski, T; Zhao, W; Zheng, Y; Barceló, A; Batieha, AM; Fouad, HM; Baur, LA; Di Castelnuovo, AF; Ben Romdhane, H; Bernabe-Ortiz, A; Bhargava, SK; Bi, Y; Bjerregaard, P; Björkelund, C; Blake, M; Blokstra, A; Bo, S; Francis, DK; Ezzati, M; Boehm, BO; Boissonnet, CP; Bovet, P; Brajkovich, I; Breckenkamp, J; Brewster, LM; Brian, GR; Bruno, G; Bugge, A; Cabrera de León, A; Kratzer, W; Franco Mdo, C; Can, G; Cândido, AP; Capuano, V; Carvalho, M. J.; Casanueva, FF; Caserta, CA; Castetbon, K; Chamukuttan, S; Chaturvedi, N; Kromhout, D; Chen, CJ; Frontera, G; Chen, F; Chen, S; Cheng, CY; Chetrit, A; Chiou, ST; Cho, Y; Chudek, J; Cifkova, R; Kula, K; Claessens, F; Concin, H; Furusawa, T; Cooper, C; Cooper, R; Costanzo, S; Cottel, D; Cowell, C; Crujeiras, AB; D'Arrigo, G; Kurjata, P; Dallongeville, J; Dankner, R; Dauchet, L; Magliano, D; de Gaetano, G; De Henauw, S; Deepa, M; Dehghan, A; Gaciong, Z; Galbarczyk, A; Kyobutungi, C; Garnett, SP; Gaspoz, JM; Gasull, M; Gates, L; Geleijnse, JM; Ghasemain, A; Giampaoli, S; Gianfagna, F; Bovet, P; Giovannelli, J; Lachat, C; Gonzalez Gross, M; González Rivas, JP; Gorbea, MB; Gottrand, F; Grant, JF; Grodzicki, T; Grøntved, A; Gruden, G; Gu, D; Miranda, JJ; Laid, Y; Guan, OP; Guerrero, R; Guessous, I; Guimaraes, AL; Gutierrez, L; Hardy, R; Hari Kumar, R; Heidemann, C; Hihtaniemi, IT; Ho, SY; Lam, TH; Khang, YH; Ho, SC; Hofman, A; Horimoto, AR; Hormiga, CM; Horta, BL; Houti, L; Hussieni, AS; Huybrechts, I; Hwalla, N; Lanska, V; Iacoviello, L; Stevens, GA; Iannone, AG; Ibrahim, MM; Ikeda, N; Ikram, MA; Irazola, VE; Islam, M; Iwasaki, M; Jacobs, JM; Djalalinia, S; Jafar, T; Jasienska, G; Riley, LM; Jiang, CQ; Lappas, G; Abdeen, ZA; Laxmaiah, A; Leclercq, C; Lee, J; Lee, J; Lehtimäki, T; Lekhraj, R; León-Muñoz, LM; Li, Y; Doua, K; Lim, WY; Lima-Costa, MF; Kadir, KA; Lin, HH; Lin, X; Lissner, L; Lorbeer, R; Lozano, JE; Lundqvist, A; Lytsy, P; Drygas, W; Ma, G; Machado-Coelho, GL; Machi, S; Abu-Rmeileh, M; Maggi, S; Magliano, D; Makdisse, M; Mallikharjuna v, K; Manios, Y; Manzato, E; Du, Y; Margozzini, P; Marques-Vidal, P; Martorell, R; Masoodi, SR; Acosta-Cazares, B; Matsha, TE; Mbanya, JC; McFarlane, SR; McGarvey, ST; McLachlan, S; Egbagbe, EE; McNulty, BA; Mediene-Benchekor, S; Meirhaeghe, A; Menezes, AM; Merat, S; Aekplakorn, W; Meshram, II; Mi, J; Miquel, JF; Miranda, JJ; Eggertsen, R; Mohamed, MK
    Background Diabetes has been defi ned on the basis of diff erent biomarkers, including fasting plasma glucose (FPG), 2-h plasma glucose in an oral glucose tolerance test (2hOGTT), and HbA1c. We assessed the eff ect of diff erent diagnostic defi nitions on both the population prevalence of diabetes and the classifi cation of previously undiagnosed individuals as having diabetes versus not having diabetes in a pooled analysis of data from population-based health examination surveys in diff erent regions. Methods We used data from 96 population-based health examination surveys that had measured at least two of the biomarkers used for defi ning diabetes. Diabetes was defi ned using HbA1c (HbA1c ≥6·5% or history of diabetes diagnosis or using insulin or oral hypoglycaemic drugs) compared with either FPG only or FPG-or-2hOGTT defi nitions (FPG ≥7·0 mmol/L or 2hOGTT ≥11·1 mmol/L or history of diabetes or using insulin or oral hypoglycaemic drugs). We calculated diabetes prevalence, taking into account complex survey design and survey sample weights. We compared the prevalences of diabetes using diff erent defi nitions graphically and by regression analyses. We calculated sensitivity and specifi city of diabetes diagnosis based on HbA1c compared with diagnosis based on glucose among previously undiagnosed individuals (ie, excluding those with history of diabetes or using insulin or oral hypoglycaemic drugs). We calculated sensitivity and specifi city in each survey, and then pooled results using a random-eff ects model. We assessed the sources of heterogeneity of sensitivity by meta-regressions for study characteristics selected a priori. Findings Population prevalence of diabetes based on FPG-or-2hOGTT was correlated with prevalence based on FPG alone (r=0·98), but was higher by 2–6 percentage points at diff erent prevalence levels. Prevalence based on HbA1c was lower than prevalence based on FPG in 42·8% of age–sex–survey groups and higher in another 41·6%; in the other 15·6%, the two defi nitions provided similar prevalence estimates. The variation across studies in the relation between glucose-based and HbA1c-based prevalences was partly related to participants’ age, followed by natural logarithm of per person gross domestic product, the year of survey, mean BMI, and whether the survey population was national, subnational, or from specifi c communities. Diabetes defi ned as HbA1c 6·5% or more had a pooled sensitivity of 52·8% (95% CI 51·3–54·3%) and a pooled specifi city of 99·74% (99·71–99·78%) compared with FPG 7·0 mmol/L or more for diagnosing previously undiagnosed participants; sensitivity compared with diabetes defi ned based on FPG or-2hOGTT was 30·5% (28·7–32·3%). None of the preselected study-level characteristics explained the heterogeneity in the sensitivity of HbA1c versus FPG. Interpretation Diff erent biomarkers and defi nitions for diabetes can provide diff erent estimates of population prevalence of diabetes, and diff erentially identify people without previous diagnosis as having diabetes. Using an HbA1c-based defi nition alone in health surveys will not identify a substantial proportion of previously undiagnosed people who would be considered as having diabetes using a glucose-based test.
    2015Artigo científico Acesso aberto Ver mais
  • Global variation in diabetes diagnosis and prevalence based on fasting glucose and hemoglobin A1c
    Publication . NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (NCD-RisC); Ornelas, Rui
    Fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) are both used to diagnose diabetes, but these measurements can identify diferent people as having diabetes. We used data from 117 population-based studies and quantifed, in diferent world regions, the prevalence of diagnosed diabetes, and whether those who were previously undiagnosed and detected as having diabetes in survey screening, had elevated FPG, HbA1c or both. We developed prediction equations for estimating the probability that a person without previously diagnosed diabetes, and at a specifc level of FPG, had elevated HbA1c, and vice versa. The age-standardized proportion of diabetes that was previously undiagnosed and detected in survey screening ranged from 30% in the high-income western region to 66% in south Asia. Among those with screen-detected diabetes with either test, the age-standardized proportion who had elevated levels of both FPG and HbA1c was 29–39% across regions; the remainder had discordant elevation of FPG or HbA1c. In most low- and middle-income regions, isolated elevated HbA1c was more common than isolated elevated FPG. In these regions, the use of FPG alone may delay diabetes diagnosis and underestimate diabetes prevalence. Our prediction equations help allocate fnite resources for measuring HbA1c to reduce the global shortfall in diabetes diagnosis and surveillance.
    2023Artigo científico Acesso aberto Ver mais
  • Height and body-mass index trajectories of school-aged children and adolescents from 1985 to 2019 in 200 countries and territories: a pooled analysis of 2181 population-based studies with 65 million participants
    Publication . NCD Risk Factor Collaboration; Ornelas, Rui
    Background Comparable global data on health and nutrition of school-aged children and adolescents are scarce. We aimed to estimate age trajectories and time trends in mean height and mean body-mass index (BMI), which measures weight gain beyond what is expected from height gain, for school-aged children and adolescents. Methods For this pooled analysis, we used a database of cardiometabolic risk factors collated by the Non-Communicable Disease Risk Factor Collaboration. We applied a Bayesian hierarchical model to estimate trends from 1985 to 2019 in mean height and mean BMI in 1-year age groups for ages 5–19 years. The model allowed for non-linear changes over time in mean height and mean BMI and for non-linear changes with age of children and adolescents, including periods of rapid growth during adolescence. Findings We pooled data from 2181 population-based studies, with measurements of height and weight in 65 million participants in 200 countries and territories. In 2019, we estimated a difference of 20 cm or higher in mean height of 19-year-old adolescents between countries with the tallest populations (the Netherlands, Montenegro, Estonia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina for boys; and the Netherlands, Montenegro, Denmark, and Iceland for girls) and those with the shortest populations (Timor-Leste, Laos, Solomon Islands, and Papua New Guinea for boys; and Guatemala, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Timor-Leste for girls). In the same year, the difference between the highest mean BMI (in Pacific island countries, Kuwait, Bahrain, The Bahamas, Chile, the USA, and New Zealand for both boys and girls and in South Africa for girls) and lowest mean BMI (in India, Bangladesh, Timor-Leste, Ethiopia, and Chad for boys and girls; and in Japan and Romania for girls) was approximately 9–10 kg/m². In some countries, children aged 5 years started with healthier height or BMI than the global median and, in some cases, as healthy as the best performing countries, but they became progressively less healthy compared with their comparators as they grew older by not growing as tall (eg, boys in Austria and Barbados, and girls in Belgium and Puerto Rico) or gaining too much weight for their height (eg, girls and boys in Kuwait, Bahrain, Fiji, Jamaica, and Mexico; and girls in South Africa and New Zealand). In other countries, growing children overtook the height of their comparators (eg, Latvia, Czech Republic, Morocco, and Iran) or curbed their weight gain (eg, Italy, France, and Croatia) in late childhood and adolescence. When changes in both height and BMI were considered, girls in South Korea, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and some central Asian countries (eg, Armenia and Azerbaijan), and boys in central and western Europe (eg, Portugal, Denmark, Poland, and Montenegro) had the healthiest changes in anthropometric status over the past 3·5 decades because, compared with children and adolescents in other countries, they had a much larger gain in height than they did in BMI. The unhealthiest changes—gaining too little height, too much weight for their height compared with children in other countries, or both—occurred in many countries in sub Saharan Africa, New Zealand, and the USA for boys and girls; in Malaysia and some Pacific island nations for boys; and in Mexico for girls. Interpretation The height and BMI trajectories over age and time of school-aged children and adolescents are highly variable across countries, which indicates heterogeneous nutritional quality and lifelong health advantages and risks.
    2020Artigo científico Acesso aberto Ver mais
  • Objectively measured time spent sedentary is associated with insulin resistance independent of overall and central body fat in 9-to 10-year-old portuguese children
    Publication . Sardinha, L. B.; Andersen, L. B.; Anderssen, S. A.; Quiterio, A. L.; Ornelas, Rui; Froberg, K.; Riddoch, C. J.; Ekelund, U.
    OBJECTIVE — We examined the independent relationships between objectively measured physical activity and insulin resistance in Portuguese children. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS — This is a school-based, cross-sectional study in 147 randomly selected girls (aged 9.8 0.3 years; 27.8 9.3% body fat) and 161 boys (aged 9.8 0.3 years; 22.0 9.2% body fat). Physical activity was assessed by the Actigraph accel erometer for 4 days and summarized as time spent sedentary (accelerometer counts 500/min), in light-intensity (accelerometer counts 500–2,000/min), and in moderate- and vigorous intensity activity (accelerometer counts 2,001/min). We measured total and central fat mass by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Insulin resistance was expressed as the homeostasis model assessment score. RESULTS — Time (min/day) spent sedentary was significantly and positively associated with insulin resistance ( -coefficient 0.001 [95% CI 0.0002–0.002]; P 0.013). Time spent in moderate- and vigorous-intensity physical activity ( 0.002 [ 0.003 to 0.001]; P 0.0009) and overall physical activity ( 0.001 [ 0.008 to 0.003]; P 0.0001) were significantly and inversely associated with insulin resistance. All associations remained statistically significant, although they were attenuated after further adjustments for sex, birth weight, sexual maturity, and total or central fat mass (P 0.03). CONCLUSIONS — Physical activity is associated with insulin resistance independent of total and central fat mass in children. Our results emphasize the importance of decreasing sedentary behavior and increasing time spent in moderate- and vigorous-intensity activity in children, which may have beneficial effects on metabolic risk factors regardless of the degree of adiposity.
    2007Artigo científico Acesso aberto Ver mais
  • Physical and physiological characterization of custom-made virtual reality exergames: a pilot study
    Publication . França, Cíntia; Noronha, Hildegardo; Freitas, Eva; Campos, Pedro; Ornelas, Rui T.; Gouveia, Élvio R.; França, Cíntia; Noronha, Hildegardo; Pereira Campos, Pedro Filipe; Ornelas, Rui; Gouveia, Élvio Rúbio
    The continuous growth of the older adult population demands an urgent need to provide innovative ways to stimulate physical activity and promote functional health. This study presents FitFest, a custom-made virtual reality (VR) designed to deliver a complete physical activity (PA) session for older adults. A pilot study involving seven older adults (67.0 ± 3.8 years) was conducted, comprising 18 user testing sessions of two VR exergames: Wine Fest and Flower Fest. PA intensity and heart rate (HR) were measured. The rate of perceived exertion (RPE) and the participants’ rating of the system’s usability were also registered. Overall, sessions involved mostly sedentary behavior (56.5 ± 20.4%) and light PA (42.1 ± 19.3%), with an average of 436.7 steps and 92.1 bpm. Wine Fest elicited less sedentary behavior (53.6 ± 22.1% vs. 62.8 ± 16.2%), higher light PA intensity (44.7 ± 20.4% vs. 36.4 ± 17.0%), and a higher step count (503.0 ± 345.4 vs. 291.0 ± 143.1) than the Flower Fest, although not significantly. Tasks requiring cardiovascular effort and strength were rated as more physically demanding. Most participants found the system user-friendly and showed interest in continued use, though technical support was essential due to limited familiarity with VR. The findings suggest FitFest has potential to promote light PA in older adults, highlighting the importance of usability and support in tech-based interventions.
    2025-11-03Artigo científico Acesso aberto Ver mais