IJCS | Volume 32, Nº5, September/October 2019

476 Meira et al. Talk the talk and walk the walk! Int J Cardiovasc Sci. 2019;32(5):473-480 Original Article about physical exercise correctly showed a higher frequency, more intense and of longer duration exercise (Table 2). Percentage of VO 2 predicted by age was 88.3 (1.2)% and 91 (1.1)%, for those who gave wrong and correct answer to the question, respectively (p = 0.009), but no difference was found in the presence of poor aerobic conditioning between these individuals. In the multivariate analysis, high intensity physical exercise was the main independent predictor of a correct answer to the question about physical activity (OR = 2.25; 95%CI 1.238 – 4.089). Beingmoderately active (OR = 1.93; 95% IC 1.105 – 3.39), being a cardiologist (OR = 2.01; 95% CI 1.243 – 3.267) and being a non- cardiologist physician (OR = 1.82; 95% CI 1.009 – 3.300) were also associated with the outcome (Table 3). In a second model including the same variables, we observed an interaction between occupation and physical activity; being a physically active cardiologist physician increased the likelihood of knowing the WHO recommendation for physical activity by 4.37 times (95% CI 2.08-9.17). Discussion Physically active health care professionals not only take care of their own health, but can also motivate patients to exercise. In our study, 30.4% of physicians and 38.2% of cardiologists were inactive or lightly active. Our findings showed that the knowledge about WHO recommendations on the weekly practice of physical exercise among physicians (55.2%) were similar to those reported by Patra et al., 6 among physicians in India (51.2%). There was a linear relationship between physical activity level, measured by the domains of exercise intensity, frequency and duration, and the knowledge about exercise. The practice of high-intensity exercise increased, by more than twice, the likelihood of knowing WHO recommendations, in addition to be the best predictor of knowledge among the variables. In addition, the interaction of being a cardiologist with the practice of high-intensity exercise potentiated this effect, and increased by more than four times the likelihood of knowing the WHO recommendations on exercise. Clinical studies that evaluated how physicians take care of their own health have shown conflicting results. Frank et al., 13 in an epidemiological study involving four million individuals in the USA, showed that male physicians were older when they died (73 years) than lawyers (72 years) and the general population (70 years). Other studies also conducted with North American populations, showed healthier life style among physicians and other health care professionals Figure 1 - Knowledge about the World Health Organization recommendations for fighting sedentary lifestyle by weekly exercise load of the interviewees (p < 0.001). Correct answer (%) Inactive Lightly active Moderately active Highly active Weekly exercise load