ORCID Profile
0000-0003-0429-3093
Current Organisation
Instituto Politécnico de Leiria Escola Superior de Educação e Ciências Sociais
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Publications
Are cardiorespiratory fitness and moderate‐to‐vigorous physical activity independently associated to overweight, obesity, and abdominal obesity in elderly?
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 28-11-2011
DOI: 10.1002/AJHB.21231
Abstract: This study aimed to examine the independent association of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and physical activity (PA) with overweight and total and abdominal obesity in an elderly population. A total of 112 males and 185 females, 65-103 years, were assessed for PA with accelerometers and results from six-minute walk test were used as a CRF marker. Waist circumference was dichotomized into normal or abdominal obesity and BMI was categorized into normal, overweight, or obesity. Binary logistic regression models were performed. Binary logistic regressions showed that, moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) predicted OR for abdominal obesity (OR = 1.4% P = 0.026), obesity (OR = 2.9% P < 0.001), and both conditions coupled (OR% = 4.0% P < 0.001). Even adjusting for CRF, MVPA remained a significant predictor. CRF was associated with OR for abdominal obesity (OR = 0.4% P = 0.001). In conclusion, higher CRF is associated with lower risk for abdominal obesity in elderly. Independently MVPA predicts OR for obesity, abdominal obesity, and the cluster of both conditions.
Physical fitness percentiles for Portuguese children and adolescents aged 10–18 years
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 13-05-2014
DOI: 10.1080/02640414.2014.906046
Abstract: This study aimed to produce age- and sex-specific physical fitness reference data for Portuguese youth to report the prevalence of youth in the healthy zone of physical fitness according to the FITNESSGRAM(®) criteria to verify the agreement between the Portuguese physical fitness percentiles and the FITNESSGRAM(®) healthy zones. In 2008, 22,048 Portuguese children and adolescents (10-18 years) were evaluated. Physical fitness (curl-ups, push-ups, 20-m shuttle run and modified-back-saver-sit-and-reach tests) was evaluated using the FITNESSGRAM(®) Test Battery 8.0. Smoothed percentile curves were estimated using Cole's LMS method. Boys consistently outperformed girls in every physical fitness test, except for the modified-back-saver-sit-and-reach tests. In both sexes and for all physical fitness tests, higher percentile values were observed at older ages. The 50th percentile of all physical fitness tests had the highest accuracy to discriminate between under healthy zone and healthy zone of the FITNESSGRAM(®). Portuguese schools and physical education teachers may considerer the 50th percentile for age and sex or the FITNESSGRAM(®) criteria for classifying participants in the healthy zone as acceptable cut-offs, above which youth should be considered fit. These reference values can be used as normative data and for baseline values for subsequent surveillance of the physical fitness of Portuguese youth.
Sedentary behavior and physical activity are independently related to functional fitness in older adults
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2012
DOI: 10.1016/J.EXGER.2012.07.011
Abstract: The last decades of life have been traditionally viewed as a time of inevitable disease and frailty. Sedentary living and physical activity may influence capacity to perform activities that are needed to maintain physical independence in daily living. A total of 117 males and 195 females, aged 65-103years, were assessed for physical activity and sedentary time with accelerometers and for functional fitness with the Senior Fitness Test battery. Based on the in idual scores for each fitness item, a Z-score was created. Associations between functional fitness with sedentary time and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) were analyzed. A negative association was found between the composite Z-score for functional fitness and the sedentary time, even adjusting for MVPA and other confounders. On the other hand, MVPA was positively associated with the composite Z-score for functional fitness, independently of the sedentary time. In conclusion elderly who spend more time in physical activity or less time in sedentary behaviors exhibit improved functional fitness and other confounders. The results reinforce the importance of promoting both the reduction of sedentary behaviors and the increase of MVPA in this age group, as it may interfere at older ages in order to preserve functional fitness and performance of daily functioning tasks.
Sedentary Patterns, Physical Activity, and Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Association to Glycemic Control in Type 2 Diabetes Patients
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Date: 28-04-2017
Breaking-up Sedentary Time Is Associated With Physical Function in Older Adults
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 16-10-2014
Abstract: Physical function is a key determinant that corresponds to the physiological capacity of older adults to perform normal everyday activities, safely and independently, without undue fatigue. We examined the associations of sedentary behavior (SB), breaks in sedentary time (BST), and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) with physical function in older adults. Physical activity and SB were assessed with accelerometers (ActiGraph, GT1M) and physical function with the Senior Fitness Test battery, among 87 males and 128 females aged between 65 and 94 years. A composite Z-score was created based on the in idual scores for each Senior Fitness Test battery item. Associations of SB, BST, and MVPA with physical function were examined, adjusting for demographic attributes, physical independence, and medical status. A significant positive association was found between BST and the composite physical function Z-score, after adjusting for total SB, MVPA, and potential confounders. MVPA was also positively associated with physical function, after adjusting for SB, BST, and potential confounders. Those with low BST in conjunction with performing less than 30min/d of MVPA had lower physical function. Breaking-up sedentary time is associated with better physical function in older adults and, it may have an important place in future guidelines on preserving older adults' physical function to support activities of daily living.
Normative Functional Fitness Standards and Trends of Portuguese Older Adults: Cross-Cultural Comparisons
Publisher: Human Kinetics
Date: 2014
Abstract: This cross-sectional study was designed to develop normative functional fitness standards for the Portuguese older adults, to analyze age and gender patterns of decline, to compare the fitness level of Portuguese older adults with that of older adults in other countries, and to evaluate the fitness level of Portuguese older adults relative to recently published criterion fitness standards associated with maintaining physical independence. A s le of 4,712 independent-living older adults, age 65–103 yr, was evaluated using the Senior Fitness Test battery. Age-group normative fitness scores are reported for the 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, and 90th percentiles. Results indicate that both women and men experience age-related losses in all components of functional fitness, with their rate of decline being greater than that observed in other populations, a trend which may cause Portuguese older adults to be at greater risk for loss of independence in later years. These newly established normative standards make it possible to assess in idual fitness level and provide a basis for implementing population-wide health strategies to counteract early loss of independence.
Caffeine Intake, Short Bouts of Physical Activity, and Energy Expenditure: A Double-Blind Randomized Crossover Trial
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 15-07-2013
Estimation of total body water and extracellular water with bioimpedance in athletes: A need for athlete-specific prediction models
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2016
DOI: 10.1016/J.CLNU.2015.03.013
Abstract: Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) equations can predict total body water (TBW) and extracellular water (ECW) in non-athletic healthy populations. This study aimed: a) to develop BIA-based models for TBW and ECW prediction based on dilution methods in a s le of national level athletes and b) to validate the new models with a cross-validation approach in a separate cohort using dilution methods as criterion. Two hundred and eight highly trained athletes (21.3 ± 5.0 years) were evaluated during their respective competitive seasons. Athletes were randomly split into development (n = 139) and validation groups (n = 69). The criterion method for TBW was deuterium dilution and for ECW was bromide dilution, where ICW was the respective difference between both. Resistance (R) and reactance (Xc) were obtained with a phase-sensitive 50 kHz BIA device and used for the estimation of TBW and ECW. Athletic BIA-based models were developed for TBW and ECW [TBW = 0.286 + 0.195*S(2)/R + 0.385*Wt + 5.086*Sex ECW = 1.579 + 0.055*S(2)/R + 0.127*Wt + 0.006*S(2)/Xc + 0.932*Sex, where sex is 0 if female or 1 if male, Wt is weight (kg), S is stature (cm), and R and Xc are in ohm (Ω)]. Cross validation revealed R(2) of 0.91 for TBW and R(2) 0.70 for ECW and no mean bias. The new equations can be considered valid, with no observed bias, thus affording practical means to quantify TBW and ECW in national level athletes.
Suitability of Bioelectrical Based Methods to Assess Water Compartments in Recreational and Elite Athletes
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 02-03-2016
DOI: 10.1080/07315724.2015.1058198
Abstract: It is important for highly active in iduals to easily and accurately assess their hydration level. Bioelectrical impedance (BIA) can potentially meet these needs but its validity in active in iduals is not well established. We aim to validate total body water (TBW), extracellular water (ECW), and intracellular water (ICW) estimates obtained from 50 kHz BIA, bioelectrical impedance spectroscopy (BIS), and BIA-based models against dilution techniques in 2 populations: active adults and elite athletes. Active males (N = 28, 20-39 years) involved in recreational sports and elite athletes (females: N = 57, 16-35 years males: N = 127, 16-38 years) participated in this study. TBW and ECW were assessed with deuterium and bromide dilution, respectively. ICW was assessed as their difference. Body water compartments were also assessed by BIA (BIA-101), BIS (model 4200), and BIA-based equations. Small but significant differences were observed between alternative methods and the criterion in all subs les. In female athletes, r(2) > 0.69, r(2) > 0.57, and r(2) > 0.65 were observed between methods in the TBW, ECW, and ICW estimates. In males, r(2) > 0.75, r(2) > 0.65, and r(2) > 0.68 were found between alternative and reference methods in the TBW, ECW, and ICW estimates, respectively, whereas for male recreational exercisers, r(2) > 0.58, r(2) > 0.73, and r(2) > 0.75 were observed. Pure errors ranged between 0.19 to 3.32 kg for TBW, 0.64 to 1.63 for ECW, and 1.98 to 2.64 in ICW. The highest limits of agreement (LoA) were observed in Van Loan and Mayclin equation and the BIA method, respectively, for TBW and ECW assessment and the lowest LoA were observed in BIS for both TBW and ECW estimates. The higher accuracy of BIS in predicting in idual TBW, ECW, and ICW highlights its utility in water assessment of recreational and elite athletes.
A moderate dose of caffeine ingestion does not change energy expenditure but decreases sleep time in physically active males: a double-blind randomized controlled trial
Publisher: Canadian Science Publishing
Date: 2013
Abstract: Research on the effect of caffeine on energy expenditure (EE), physical activity (PA), and total sleep time (TST) during free-living conditions using objective measures is scarce. We aimed to determine the impact of a moderate dose of caffeine on TST, resting EE (REE), physical activity EE (PAEE), total EE (TEE), and daily time spent in sedentary, light, moderate, and vigorous intensity activities in a 4-day period and the acute effects on heart rate (HR) and EE in physically active males. Using a double-blind crossover trial (ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT01477294) with two conditions (4 days each with 3-day washout) randomly ordered as caffeine (5 mg/kg of body mass/day) and placebo (maltodextrin) administered twice per day (2.5 mg/kg), 30 nonsmoker males, low-caffeine users ( mg/day), aged 20–39, were followed. Body composition was assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. PA was assessed by accelerometry, while a combined HR and movement sensor estimated EE and HR on the second hour after the first administration dose. REE was assessed by indirect calorimetry, and PAEE was calculated as [TEE − (REE + 0.1TEE)]. TST and daily food records were obtained. Repeated measures ANOVA and ANCOVA were used. After a 4-day period, adjusting for fat-free mass, PAEE, and REE, TST was reduced (p = 0.022) under caffeine intake, while no differences were found between conditions for REE, PAEE, TEE, and PA patterns. Also, no acute effects on HR and EE were found between conditions. Though a large in idual variability was observed, our findings revealed no acute or long-term effects of caffeine on EE and PA but decreased TST during free-living conditions in healthy males.
Validity of GT3X and Actiheart to estimate sedentary time and breaks using ActivPAL as the reference in free-living conditions
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2015
DOI: 10.1016/J.GAITPOST.2015.03.326
Abstract: Sedentary time, specifically sitting/reclining, is a risk factor for many non-communicable diseases and premature mortality. Inclinometers have been used as a valid measurement of sedentary time and its patterns however, there is a lack of information regarding the validity of alternative accelerometry and heart rate methods. The validity of GT3X and Actiheart in estimating changes in daily sedentary time and breaks, during free-living settings, using ActivPAL as the reference was examined. A crossover randomized control trial of an intervention that aimed to reduce ∼3 h/day of sitting time included 10 overweight/obese adults (37-65 years). Participants had a total of 74 valid days for the three devices (29 controls 45 interventions). For ActivPAL, sedentary time was measured directly based upon posture (sitting/reclining) Actiheart, the presumed MET cutpoint for sedentary time (<1.5 METs) based on accelerometry+heart rate GT3X, the traditional <100countsmin(-1). A break in sedentary time was defined as when the participants were above the aforementioned cutoffs. GT3X overestimated and Actiheart underestimated sedentary time (bias=135min bias=-156min, respectively) and both methods overestimated breaks in sedentary time (bias=78 bias=235 breaks, respectively). The GT3X method was in better agreement with the ActivPAL sedentary time (r2=0.70 concordance correlation coefficient (CCC)=0.56) than the Actiheart (r2=0.24 CCC=0.31). The present results highlight the magnitude of potential errors in estimating sedentary time and breaks from common alternative methods other than ActivPAL. Because misclassification errors from the commonly used surrogates are potentially large, this raises concern that alternative methods used in many epidemiological observations may have underestimated the true effects caused by too much sitting (ClinicalTrials.govID:NCT02007681).
Total body water and its compartments are not affected by ingesting a moderate dose of caffeine in healthy young adult males
Publisher: Canadian Science Publishing
Date: 06-2013
Abstract: Acute and chronic caffeine intakes have no impact on hydration status (R.J. Maughan and J. Griffin, J. Hum. Nutr. Diet. 16(6): 411–420, 2003), although no research has been conducted to analyze the effects using dilution techniques on total-body water (TBW) and its compartments. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of a moderate dose of caffeine on TBW, extracellular water (ECW), and intracellular water (ICW) during a 4-day period in active males. Thirty men, nonsmokers and low caffeine users ( mg·day −1 ), aged 20–39 years, participated in this double-blind, randomized, crossover trial (ClinicalTrials.gov: No. NCT01477294). The study included 2 conditions (5 mg·kg −1 ·day −1 of caffeine and placebo (malt-dextrin)) of 4 days each, with a 3-day washout period. TBW and ECW were assessed by deuterium oxide and sodium bromide dilution, respectively, whereas ICW was calculated as TBW minus ECW. Body composition was assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Physical activity (PA) was assessed by accelerometry and water intake was assessed by dietary records. Repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to test main effects. No changes in TBW, ECW, or ICW and no interaction between the randomly assigned order of treatment and time were observed (p 0.05). TBW, ECW, and ICW were unrelated to fat-free mass, water ingestion, and PA (p 0.05). These findings indicate that a moderate caffeine dose, equivalent to approximately 5 espresso cups of coffee or 7 servings of tea, does not alter TBW and fluid distribution in healthy men, regardless of body composition, PA, or daily water ingestion.
Prevalence of the Portuguese Population Attaining Sufficient Physical Activity
Publisher: Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)
Date: 03-2012
Prevalence of Overweight, Obesity, and Abdominal Obesity in a Representative Sample of Portuguese Adults
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 31-10-2012
Accuracy of a combined heart rate and motion sensor for assessing energy expenditure in free-living adults during a double-blind crossover caffeine trial using doubly labeled water as the reference me
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 02-04-2014
DOI: 10.1038/EJCN.2014.51
Abstract: A combined heart rate (HR) and motion sensor (Actiheart) has been proposed as an accurate method for assessing total energy expenditure (TEE) and physical activity energy expenditure (PAEE). However, the extent to which factors such as caffeine may affect the accuracy by which the estimated HR-related PAEE contribution will affect TEE and PAEE estimates is unknown. Therefore, we examined the validity of Actiheart in estimating TEE and PAEE in free-living adults under a caffeine trial compared with doubly labeled water (DLW) as reference criterion. Using a double-blind crossover trial (Clinicaltrials.gov ID: #NCT01477294) with two conditions (4-day each with a 3-day-washout period), randomly ordered as caffeine (5 mg/kg per day) and placebo (malt-dextrine) intake, TEE was measured by DLW in 17 physically active men (20-38 years) who were non-caffeine users. In each condition, resting energy expenditure (REE) was assessed by indirect calorimetry and PAEE was calculated as (TEE-(REE+0.1 TEE)). Simultaneously, PAEE and TEE were estimated by Actiheart using an in idual calibration (ACC+HRstep). Under caffeine, ACC+HRstep explained 76 and 64% of TEE and PAEE from DLW, respectively corresponding results for the placebo condition were 82 and 66%. No mean bias was found between ACC+HRstep and DLW for TEE (caffeine:-468 kJ per day placebo:-407 kJ per day), although PAEE was slightly underestimated (caffeine:-856 kJ per day placebo:-1147 kJ per day). Similar limits of agreement were observed in both conditions ranging from -2066 to 3002 and from -3488 to 1776 kJ per day for TEE and PAEE, respectively. Regardless of caffeine intake, the combined HR and motion sensor is valid for estimating free-living energy expenditure in a group of healthy men but is less accurate for an in idual assessment.
Related Organisations
Universidade De Lisboa Faculdade De Motricidade Humana
Location: Portugal
Instituto Politécnico De Leiria Escola Superior De Educação E Ciências Sociais
Location: Portugal
Universidade Lusófona De Humanidades E Tecnologias
Location: Portugal
Universidade Técnica De Lisboa Faculdade De Motricidade Humana
Location: Portugal
Related Funding Activities
No related grants have been discovered for Diana Santos.