IJCS | Volume 31, Nº6, November / December 2018

599 Figure 2 - Distribution of glycemic levels in relation to physical activity. The figure demonstrates a clear tendency for higher levels of glucose in the physically inactive group (84.1 mg/dL vs. 79.4 mg/dL). Glycemia (mg/dL) Rissardi et al. Effects of physical inactivity on blood glucose Int J Cardiovasc Sci. 2018;31(6)594-602 Original Article Discussion This study assessed various aspects related to overall physical activity in the urban adult population and its importance in the prevention of risk factors for CVD and T2DM. A total of 1,717 individuals of different age groups and sample data adjusted for the populationwere studied. As expected, a high prevalence of physically inactive subjects was detected (65.8%). Indeed, previous studies have shown a large range in the prevalence of physical inactivity. 11,22-24 In addition, our findings showed prevalence of PI higher than 62% in all age groups, with the highest prevalence in the group > 70 years (78.1%), similar to that of previous studies. 11,24 The difference between genders showed a high prevalence of PI in women in comparison withmen (71.2 and 60.1%, respectively), mainly in the extremes of the age groups. In agreement with our data, studies have shown a greater PI in women (55.5%) as compared with men (42%). 25 The reason for the lower practice of physical activity at those age ranges might be the beginning of the career and/or professional activities for the young individuals, whereas for individuals aged > 70 years, it could be due to the lack of stimulus to perform physical exercise or mobility issues. Regarding formal education levels, this study clearly showed that PI was 15% higher in the group with lower education. Other authors also showed a higher physical activity rate related to higher educational levels and an inverse association between the educational level and work-related physical activity. 26,27 According to the socioeconomic level, there was a predominance of PI individuals in all the social classes. However, a significant difference was observed only between classes AB and C. The frequency of PI was 20% higher in class C compared to AB, probably due to increased LTPA in the AB group. Some authors have also reported the prevalence of PI during leisure time, rather than at work, as a risk behavior in relation to cardiorespiratory and metabolic health. 28,29 On the other hand, socioeconomic class DE showed a lower frequency of PI compared to C, due to a large number of workers with higher frequencies of domestic and transport-related physical activities, namely cycling or walking. 30 Regarding BMI, 55.4% were overweight or obese, although the prevalence of PI in the studied groups was not significantly different. Overweight and obese individuals were probably advised to practice physical exercise, which might have led to the observed results. Interestingly, obese women with high levels of physical activity appear to have staved off the actual development of CAD and CVD. 31 Nonetheless, sedentary individuals have shown a higher risk of increasing BMI over the years. 32