IJCS | Volume 32, Nº5, September/October 2019

DOI: 10.5935/2359-4802.20190023 473 ORIGINAL ARTICLE International Journal of Cardiovascular Sciences. 2019;32(5):473-480 Mailing Address: Diogo Thadeu Meira Casa de Saúde São José - R. Macedo Sobrinho, 2. Postal Code: 22271-080, Humaitá, Rio de Janeiro, RJ - Brazil. E-mail: diogothadeumeira@gmail.com Talk the talk and walk the walk! Association between Weekly Exercise Load and Knowledge about Recommendations for Fighting Innactivity Diogo Thadeu Meira, 1 L eonardo Giglio Gonçalves, 1 L uiz Henrique Araújo, 1 M atheus Gasparini, 1 B ernardo Souza Cunha, 1 Amanda Monteiro, 2 M ichele Heringer, 1 Christiane Prado, 2 A ndre Volschan, 3 F abrício Braga da Silva 1, 2 Casa de Saúde São José, 1 Rio de Janeiro, RJ - Brazil Laboratório de Performance Humana, 2 Rio de Janeiro, RJ - Brazil Hospital Pró-Cardíaco, 3 Rio de Janeiro, RJ - Brazil Manuscript received February 04, 2018; revised manuscript October 24, 2018; accepted November 01, 2018. Abstract Background: TheWorld Health Organization (WHO) recommends as a weekly "target dose" of exercise 150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of intense exercise. Public health policies have prioritized the practice of exercise as a strategy for disease prevention and health promotion, with health professionals as their main promoters. Objective: To assess the interaction between the amount of exercise per week and the knowledge about recommendations for fighting a sedentary lifestyle among health care professionals attending a congress of cardiology. Methods: Participants of the 2017 Rio de Janeiro Society of Cardiology Congress were interviewed. Knowledge about the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations for fighting a sedentary lifestyle was assessed by asking participants the question: "How much weekly exercise is recommended by the WHO?" Responders were stratified by the weekly exercise load reported. Amultivariate logistic model was created to determine independent predictors of knowledge. Results: A total of 426 participants were interviewed (45.5% men, median age 31 years, 37.8% physicians, 65.8% of the physicians were cardiologists). The overall knowledge level was 44.6%; 38.1%, 52.7% and 56.6% among non- physicians, non-cardiologists and cardiologists, respectively (p = 0.002). Of all participants, 21.8% were inactive, 15% were lightly active, 34.7% moderately active and 28.4% highly active, and the percentage of individuals who gave a correct answer to the question on exercise recommendations was 30.1%, 42%, 48% and 52.9% respectively (p < 0.0001). In the multivariate analysis, being highly active (OR = 2.25, IC95%, 1.238 - 4.089), moderately active (OR = 1.93, IC 95% 1.105 - 3.39) and being a cardiologist (OR = 2.01, IC 95% 1.243 - 3,267) were predictors of knowledge. Conclusions: Therewas a linear associationbetweenexercise level andknowledge about theWHOrecommendations on exercise. Policies to stimulate the practice of exercise among health professionals can positively impact campaigns for reducing sedentary lifestyle in the general population. (Int J Cardiovasc Sci. 2019;32(5):473-480) Keywords: Cardiovascular Diseases/prevention and control; Exercise; Sports; Sports Medicine/trends; Health Promotion, Preventive Medicine; Physical Fitness. Introduction According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 17.5 million people die of cardiovascular diseases every year. A considerable number of themhave unhealthy habits, including a sedentary lifestyle, which accounts for more than 5 million deaths per year and an annual cost of 67.5 billion dollars. 1-3 Data from VIGITEL (an epidemiological study conducted by the Health Surveillance Agency every year in Brazil), 4 show that 52.4% of Brazilians do not practice exercise in their free time. On the “Practice of