Revista Brasileira de Educação Médica
Print version ISSN 0100-5502On-line version ISSN 1981-5271
Abstract
GUERRA, Heloísa Silva et al. Time using a computer as a discriminator of obesity, sedentarism and cardiovascular risk factors in university students. Rev. Bras. Educ. Med. [online]. 2022, vol.46, n.1, e004. Epub Jan 18, 2022. ISSN 1981-5271. https://doi.org/10.1590/1981-5271v46.1-20210374.
Introduction:
University students are at greater risk of adopting a sedentary behavior due to their routine, with a large amount of time being dedicated to classes and studying in front of a computer. This situation has become a matter of concern, because sedentary behavior has been associated with adverse health outcomes such as mortality and chronic non-communicable diseases.
Objective:
To analyze the time spent using the computer as a discriminator of obesity, sedentary lifestyle and cardiovascular risk factors in University students.
Method:
This was a cross-sectional study with 2,275 students from courses in the health area of a public institution in Goiás. Data were obtained by applying a questionnaire consisting of sociodemographic, course-related, behavioral and health variables. The outcome variable was time using the computer (TC). The discriminatory power and the cutoff points of time using the computer for the outcomes of interest were identified using the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves with 95%CI.
Result:
The mean time spent using the computer for studying, working, or leisure was 3.90 hours/day for women and 3.82 hours/day for men. The area under the ROC curve between TC and sedentary lifestyle was 0.54 (95%CI 0.51-0.58) for women and 0.56 (95%CI 0.50 - 0.63) for men. As for systemic arterial hypertension (SAH) it was 0.57 (95%CI 0.50 - 0.64) for women. The best cutoff points related to these conditions were 3.5 and 4.5 hours, respectively.
Conclusion:
The TC showed good predictive capacity to discriminate a sedentary lifestyle and SAH among University students. It is suggested that the reduction of TC and its replacement by active activities can contribute to improving the health profile and quality of life of students.
Keywords : Sedentary Behavior; Lifestyle; Student Health.