Physical activity and preventable premature deaths from non-communicable diseases in Brazil

Author(s)

Machado de Rezende, Leandro Fornias ^[1] ; Garcia, Leandro Martin Totaro ^[2] ; Mielke, Gregore Iven ^{[3, 4]} ; Lee, Dong Hoon ^[5] ; Giovannucci, Edward ^{[6, 7, 5, 8]} ; Eluf-Neto, Jose ^[1]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Dept Prevent Med, Fac Med FMUSP, Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

^[2] Univ Cambridge, Sch Clin Med, MRC Epidemiol Unit, UKCRC Ctr Diet & Act Res, Cambridge - England

^[3] Univ Fed Pelotas, Postgrad Program Epidemiol, Pelotas - Brazil

^[4] Univ Queensland, Sch Human Movement & Nutr Sci, Brisbane, Qld - Australia

^[5] Harvard TH Chan Sch Publ Hlth, Dept Nutr, Boston, MA - USA

^[6] Harvard TH Chan Sch Publ Hlth, Dept Epidemiol, Boston, MA - USA

^[7] Harvard Med Sch, Boston, MA 02115 - USA

^[8] Brigham & Womens Hosp, Channing Div Network Med, 75 Francis St, Boston, MA 02115 - USA

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH; v. 41, n. 3, p. E253-E260, SEP 2019.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

Background Studies on the impact of counterfactual scenarios of physical activity on premature deaths from non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are sparse in the literature. We estimated preventable premature deaths from NCDs (diabetes, ischemic heart disease, stroke, and breast and colon cancers) in Brazil by increasing population-wide physical activity (i) to theoretical minimum risk exposure levels; (ii) reaching the physical activity recommendation; (iii) reducing insufficient physical activity by 10%; and (iv) eliminating the gender differences in physical activity. Methods Preventable fractions were estimated using data from a nationally representative survey, relative risks from a meta-analysis and number of premature deaths (30-69 years) from the Brazilian Mortality Information System. Results Physical activity could potentially avoid up to 16 700 premature deaths from NCDs in Brazil, corresponding to 5.75 and 3.23% of premature deaths from major NCDs and of all-causes, respectively. Other scenarios suggested the following impact on premature deaths: reaching physical activity recommendation (5000 or 1.74% of major NCDs); 10% reduction in insufficient physical activity (500 or 0.17% of major NCDs); eliminating gender differences in physical activity (1000 or 0.33% of major NCDs). Conclusions Physical activity may play an important role to reduce premature deaths from NCD in Brazil. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 16/21390-0 - Burden of cancer attributable to lifestyle risk factors in Brazil
• Grantee: Leandro Fórnias Machado de Rezende
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• FAPESP's process: 14/25614-4 - Physical inactivity and cancer: from evaluation of etiological evidence to public health impact
• Grantee: Leandro Fórnias Machado de Rezende
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate