Andrea Ramirez

• PhD Student at Federal University of Pelotas

Background: Physical activity benefits both individuals and societies. This article evaluates progress in physical activity surveillance, research, policy, and authorship gender equity in Brazil (1950-2019). Methods: We used data from a systematic review and the country cards produced by the Global Observatory for Physical Activity. Brazilian artic...

Objective To characterize the clinical phenotypes of SARS-CoV-2 infection in hospitalized children as part of the EPICO multicenter cohort study. Methods We included hospitalized children with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection from Colombian and Spanish institutions to assess disease evolution and outcomes. Cluster analysis was performed to identify...

Background: Despite advancements in vaccination and the transition from pandemic to endemic, SARS‐CoV‐2 continues to pose a medical challenge, particularly among children. In this context, imaging diagnostics, such as chest x‐rays, are crucial to the initial treatment of patients. This study aims to characterize the radiological findings in pediatr...

Introduction : The Global Observatory for Physical Education (GoPE!) builds on the Global Observatory for Physical Activity (GoPA!) to address gaps in surveillance, policy, and research on physical education (PE) and activity (PA). GoPE! is a worldwide surveillance system of quality PE and school-based PA that informs policy and interventions and a...

Objective To describe COVID-19 pandemic preparedness and response in 6 countries during 2020 and 2021. Methods A literature search was conducted in MEDLINE, Web of Science, Epistemonikos, LILACS, and Google Scholar regarding the measures adopted to face the COVID-19 pandemic; the checklist of the international World Healths Organization’s (WHO) gu...

Background The purpose of this paper is to examine the evolution of physical activity research and the comprehensiveness of national physical activity policies and surveillance systems in Canada. Methods A systematic review was conducted by the Global Observatory for Physical Activity (GoPA! ) on physical activity and health publications between 1...

Background : There is limited evidence on the priorities and opportunities associated with promoting population physical activity (PA) participation for the post-COVID-19-pandemic future. Purpose : This study assessed government-led PA promotion efforts before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, along with post-COVID-19-pandemic priorities and recomm...

Background : This article evaluates the evolution of physical activity and health research in China through a bibliometric analysis focused on number of publications, study areas, and sex balance in authorship. Methods : A systematic review was conducted by the Global Observatory for Physical Activity for “physical activity and health” publications...

Background and Aims Acute respiratory failure (ARF) is the most frequent cause of cardiorespiratory arrest and subsequent death in children worldwide. There have been limited studies regarding ARF in high altitude settings. The aim of this study was to calculate mortality and describe associated factors for severity and mortality in children with A...

This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of alterations in self-perceived mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic and their associated factors in four Latin American countries. This is a cross-sectional study based on data collected from adults in 2021 through the Collaborative Response COVID-19 Survey by the MacDonnell Academy at Washington...

Objective: To describe the evolution of physical activity (PA) research in Africa, examine income and gender inequalities, and discuss future possibilities. Methods: A secondary analyses of the Global Observatory for Physical Activity data on PA research in Africa (1950-2019). Results: We identified 514 PA articles from 47 African countries in...

Background: National physical activity (PA) policy processes are only beginning to be studied in Latin America, and little attention has focused at the subnational level. This study examined national–subnational relations in the policy process (agenda setting, policy formulation, adoption, implementation, and evaluation) in selected Latin American...

Los residentes de los programas médico-quirúrgicos del país se ven confrontados por desafíos notables al emprender sus tesis de grado. Entre estas dificultades destacan la constante presión temporal debido a sus apretadas agendas clínicas, la necesidad de adquirir destrezas de investigación, la complejidad en el acceso a recursos especializados y l...

Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic emerged in a context that lacked adequate prevention, preparedness, and response (PPR) activities, and global, regional, and national leadership. South American countries were among world’s hardest hit by the pandemic, accounting for 10.1% of total cases and 20.1% of global deaths. Methods This study explores how...

Background and Aims The approach to the burden of disease is a demographic, economic, and a health problem, which requires the design and application of specific measures of cost of the disease, such as disability‐adjusted life years (DALYs), to establish better public health policies in the pediatric population. The aim of this study is to approac...

Background: A significant gap remains between the availability of physical activity (PA) evidence-based interventions and their application in real-world settings in policy and practice areas. This study aims to describe highly cited and high altmetrics publications in PA research and explore their impact on PA policy and practice. Methods: Mixe...

Purpose National physical activity (PA) policy processes are only beginning to be documented, and the interaction between the actors involved in these processes remains understudied. This study was designed to gain further insights into the policy process (agenda setting, policy formulation, adoption, implementation, evaluation) and the interaction...

Purpose Physical inactivity among children and adolescents is a public health concern. PA promotion (PAP) policies should rely on the best evidence. This study aimed to contrast PAP policies among children and adolescents in Ecuador with the best available evidence. Methods We undertook a comprehensive analysis that included the following procedur...

Purpose It is estimated that 80% of children and adolescents do not meet the 60 min of moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity (PA) per day to benefit their health.1,2 Strengthening the provision of quality physical education (PE) and PA experiences within schools is a highly recommended policy action.3 Furthermore, there is a gap in monit...

Background and Aims Acute respiratory failure (ARF) is a common cause of morbimortality, and a frequent reason for admission to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). It requires a high‐flow oxygen device as treatment. Our aim is to determine the frequency and main indications for the use of high‐flow nasal cannula (HFNC), and the prevalence of...

Background: Acute respiratory failure (ARF) is the most frequent cause of cardiorespiratory arrest and subsequent death in children worldwide, therefore several efforts have been made to better understand its etiology and risk factors for further progression (1–4). The aim of this study was to calculate mortality and describe associated factors for...

Background: Despite international efforts to improve reproductive health indicators, little attention is paid to the contributions of contextual factors to modern contraceptive coverage, especially in the Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region. This study aimed to identify the association between country-level Gender Inequality and Health Ex...

IntroductionDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, women disproportionately assume more unpaid activities, affecting their employment.Objective Describe the influence of COVID-19 on the employment of caregivers of children and adolescents from a gender perspective.Methods Cross-sectional study in three high-complexity hospitals in Bogotá, Colombia from Apri...

Background The inadequate lifestyle of university students can contribute to the occurrence of chronic noncommunicable diseases (NCD). Objective To evaluate the prevalence of NCD risk and prevention factors and verify gender differences for healthy habits among nursing students. Method A cross-sectional study with 974 nursing students. A self-admin...

Background: Physical activity (PA) surveillance, policy, and research efforts need to be periodically appraised to gain insight into national and global capacities for PA promotion. The aim of this paper was to assess the status and trends in PA surveillance, policy, and research in 164 countries. Methods: We used data from the Global Observator...

Goals Describe the progress of developing and monitoring global physical activity policy from the 1990s through the release and implementation of Global Action Plan for Physical Activity-GAPPA; Present findings of a systematic review of instruments for physical activity policy analysis; Describe the methods and progress after 1-year implementation...

Background In 2015, GoPA! was launched to monitor progress on Physical Activity (PA) surveillance, policy and research globally. In 2017, the GoPA! started developing a PA Policy Inventory to enable collecting comparable data on PA policy worldwide. Methods The instrument was developed in three stages. Stage-1: Critical assessment of the Policy In...

Introduction For young adults, the first year of higher education represents a transition period into adulthood associated with an increased risk of developing depression, anxiety, and stress, contributing to deteriorating physical and mental health. The present study aimed to analyze the relationship between depressive symptoms and social capital...

The study aimed to investigate the association between social capital indicators and depressive symptoms among university students from Brazil. The study drew on a sample of 579 randomly selected university students, from a greater crossnational study conducted in 2018. Students completed a self-administered questionnaire assessing depressive sympt...

Here is the Abstract link https://hfjc.library.ubc.ca/index.php/HFJC/article/view/557

Background Inadequate antenatal care (ANC) has been associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. ANC quality is considered a key component of the right to health and a route to equity and dignity for women and their children. Although ANC coverage is relatively high in Brazil, there are revealed some health disparities when coverage is examined by s...

La obesidad infantil es un problema grave en Latinoamérica y entre la población latina de EE. UU. Para ser eficaces, las políticas de salud pública tienen que estar guiadas por evidencias contextuales pertinentes, lo cual exige una capacidad de investigación sostenida a través del tiempo. Los objetivos de este estudio son determinar la productivida...

Resumo Objetivo Analisar a associação entre perfil alimentar, atividade física e estado nutricional entre mulheres universitárias. Método Estudo transversal com 1500 mulheres. O questionário abordava questões sobre a vigilância de fatores de risco e proteção para doenças crônicas. As associações foram analisadas pelo teste qui-quadrado e análise de...

This study aimed to assess the lifestyle of undergraduate university students, and to investigate the prevalence of risk behaviors for chronic noncommunicable diseases. This cross-sectional study took place in Brasilia, with 2.163 healthcare undergraduates. We used a self-administered questionnaire for demographic variables, social class, behaviora...

Childhood obesity is a major problem in Latin America and among US Latinos. Effective public health policies require contextually relevant evidence to guide them, which demands sustained research capacity. The objectives of this study are to determine research productivity in Latin America and in the United States focused on Latino populations and...

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.

In 2012, the Global Observatory for Physical Activity (GoPA!) was established to provide information that would enable countries to initiate or improve research capacity, surveillance systems, program development, and policymaking to increase physical activity levels. Findings from the first GoPA! Country Cards showed an unequal distribution of phy...

Background National, regional and global scientific production and research capacity for physical activity - PA may contribute to improving public health PA policies and programs. There is an uneven distribution of research productivity by region and country income group, where countries with the highest burden of non-communicable diseases attribut...

About three quarters of the Malaysian adult population are physically active. There has been growth in physical activity and health research since 2010, with most studies being observational in design and few included objective measures of physical activity. The Malaysian Ministry of Health has published physical activity guidelines, strategies and...

Background: Evidence on current, national physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviour (SB) policies is limited. We, therefore, analysed availability, comprehensiveness, implementation, and effectiveness of PA and SB policies internationally. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, Global Observatory for Physical Activity (GoPA!) Country Conta...

Background: Prolonged sitting time is a risk factor for chronic disease, yet recent global surveillance is not well described. The aims were to clarify: (i) the countries that have collected country-level data on self-reported sitting time; (ii) the single-item tools used to collect these data; and (iii) the duration of sitting time reported acros...

Background: Prolonged sitting time is a risk factor for chronic disease, yet recent global surveillance is not well described. The aims were to clarify: (i) the countries that have collected country-level data on self-reported sitting time; (ii) the single-item tools used to collect these data; and (iii) the duration of sitting time reported across...

Background: Obesity and physical inactivity among children and young people are public health concerns. While numerous interventions to promote physical activity are available, little is known about the most effective ones. This study aimed to summarize the existing evidence on interventions that aim to increase physical activity. Methods: A sys...

Introduction A mental health crisis has hit university campuses across the world. This study sought to determine the prevalence and social determinants of depressive symptoms among university students in twelve countries. Particular focus was placed on the association between social capital and depressive symptoms. Methods A cross-sectional study...

Introdução: A urbanização e a industrialização colaboraram para a alteração nos padrões de alimentação, bem como para o surgimento de comportamentos sedentários e a redução da atividade física. Objetivos: Identificar e descrever a prevalência de hábitos alimentares, prática de atividade física e comportamento sedentário em escolares brasileiros e...

Background: It is not always clear whether physical activity is causally related to health outcomes, or whether the associations are induced through confounding or other biases. Randomized controlled trials of physical activity are not feasible when outcomes of interest are rare or develop over many years. Thus, we need methods to improve causal i...

Aims: To analyze the prevalence of risky behaviors among physical education undergraduates; to determine prevalence of risk factors for non-communicable chronic diseases (NCCD) among university, and; to determine the association between healthy life habits and physical activity. Method: A cross-sectional study with 903 undergraduate Physical Educa...

Background: Studies of healthcare service use during the pregnancy-postpartum cycle often rely on self-reported data. The reliability of self-reported information is often questioned as administrative data or medical records, such as antenatal care cards, are usually preferred. In this study, we measured the agreement of antenatal care indicators...

Background Universities around the world are challenged with rising rates of mental health problems among their students. Cumulative evidence demonstrated that aspects of the social environment, including social capital, play an important role in mental health. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of depressive symptoms among university stu...

In the past few decades, the field of physical activity has grown and evolved in scope, depth, visibility and impact around the world. Global progress has been observed in research and practice in physical activity regarding surveillance, health outcomes, correlates/determinants, interventions, translation and policy. The 2012 and 2016 Lancet serie...

This study aimed to describe fetal, neonatal, and post-neonatal mortality and associated factors in participants of the 2015 Pelotas (Brazil) birth cohort. The child mortality sub-study followed up all deaths in the first year of life. Data were collected on intrauterine fetal deaths (weight ≥ 500g and/or gestational age ≥ 20 weeks), neonatal death...

Background: Policy analysis is considered essential for achieving successful reforms in health promotion and public health. The only framework for physical activity (PA) policy analysis was developed at a time when the field of PA policy research was in its early stages. PA policy research has since grown, and our understanding of what elements ne...

The SBC-GoPA! Sedentary Behaviour Council Global Monitoring Initiative is collating global data on sedentary behaviour prevalence, surveillance, research and policy activity.

Objective To assess weight status and eating habits of undergraduate university students in relation to gender and examine the relationships between weight status, physical activity and eating habits. Design Cross-sectional study conducted between October 2016 and May 2017. Setting Young adults in Midwest Brazil. Participants Undergraduate unive...

Studies carried out in Brazil have demonstrated that the lifestyle profile of university students presents worrying deficiencies in respect to physical activity and eating habits. The aim was to evaluate the dietary habit and physical activity profile of physical education students and investigate the association between nutritional status, physica...

Objetivou-se estimar a prevalência e fatores associados ao consumo de álcool e tabaco entre estudantes do curso de Enfermagem. Estudo transversal com 974 acadêmicos, utilizando questionário sobre dados socioeconômicos, uso de álcool, tabaco e percepção de saúde, realizando análises descritivas e regressão logística. Dos participantes, 78,8% eram mu...

Many have deemed physical activity as a best buy for public health.1 Regular practice of physical activity provides a myriad of health benefits for people of all ages, including reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, several cancers, falls, dementia, and obesity.2,3 Recently published data show that 39% of adults and 85% of adolescents i...

Driven by significant and sustained growth in research activity over the last twenty years, sedentary behaviour has risen in prominence as a potential risk factor for chronic disease morbidity and mortality, capturing the attention of policy-makers and mainstream media. Surveillance of sedentary behaviour is required to establish the scale of the b...

Purpose: To describe indicators used for the assessment of antenatal care (ANC) quality worldwide under the World Health Organization (WHO) framework and based on a systematic review of the literature. Data sources: Searches were performed in MEDLINE, SciELO, BIREME and Web of Science for eligible studies published between January 2002 and Septe...

Appraising the status of physical activity surveillance, research and policy in Nigeria is relevant to national and regional public health actions on physical activity promotion and non-communicable disease control. This study aimed to 1) evaluate the physical activity profile of Nigeria and 2) propose strategies for improving physical activity in...

Introduction: Despite the importance of muscle strengthening and balance activities for health, these elements of the physical activity recommendations are often omitted from communication campaigns and national surveillance systems. This paper reviews national physical activity surveillance systems to determine which tools assess muscle strengthe...

Introduction: Despite the importance of muscle strengthening and balance activities for health, these elements of the physical activity recommendations are often omitted from communication campaigns and national surveillance systems. This paper reviews national physical activity surveillance systems to determine which tools assess muscle strengthen...

Background Maternal physical activity (PA) during pregnancy could affect offspring's neurodevelopment. However, studies in humans in early childhood are scarce and show inconsistent results. We aimed to review the literature on the association between physical activity during pregnancy and offspring neurodevelopment. Methods LILACS, MEDLINE and We...

O objetivo foi identificar desigualdades na prática de atividade física de lazer e deslocamento ativo para escola em adolescentes brasileiros, bem como suas tendências de acordo com o sexo, tipo de escola, escolaridade materna e regiões geográficas de 2009 a 2015. Estudo descritivo baseado em dados da Pesquisa Nacional de Saúde do Escolar (PeNSE) d...

PurposeUrban violence is a major problem in Brazil and may contribute to mental disorders among victims. The aim of this study was to assess the association between robbery victimisation and mental health disorders in late adolescence. Methods At age 18 years, 4106 participants in the 1993 Pelotas Birth Cohort Study were assessed. A questionnaire a...

We assessed the prevalence of and factors associated with alcohol consumption and smoking among Physical Education undergraduates of the city of Brasília, Brazil. This epidemiological, cross-sectional study was conducted with 903 secondsemester students during the academic year of 2016. We used a self-administered questionnaire on health-related li...

The aim of the study was to determine the current prevalence of Helicobacter pylori in symptomatic Colombian children and evaluate the presence of mutations associated with clarithromycin resistance. Biopsies from 133 children were analyzed. The gastric fragment was used for urease test and reused for polymerase chain reaction sequencing of the 23S...

Background The work of The Global Observatory for Physical Activity-GoPA! is the first global effort to compile standardized country-level surveillance, policy and research data for physical activity in order to better understand how countries and regions address promoting physical activity. GoPA! developed standardized country-specific physical a...

Objetivo: Verificar a prevalência do consumo de álcool e tabaco entre acadêmicos. Métodos: Estudo de corte transversal, realizado com 286 acadêmicos do Distrito Federal, no período de agosto a outubro de 2016, no qual se aplicou questionário estruturado de autopreenchimento sobre idade, sexo, tipo de escola no ensino médio, nível socioeconômico, lo...

Introduction: The Global Observatory for Physical Activity (GoPA!) provides country-level information on the status of physical activity surveillance, research, and policy activities for 144 countries worldwide. The Sedentary Behaviour Council-GoPA! Global Monitoring Initiative will pilot test sedentary behaviour indicators for potential addition t...

Background: Obesity and its consequences have now reached worldwide pandemic proportions. Among treatments, bariatric interventions are the most effective for weight reduction. Here, we describe the change in anthropometric measurements (AMs) of 615 adult bariatric procedure patients seen in the private practice of a registered dietitian (RD) in B...

Background: The Global Observatory for Physical Activity-GoPA! was launched in response to the physical inactivity pandemic. The aim of this article is to present current information about surveillance, policy, and research on physical activity (PA) and health worldwide. Methods: Information was collected for 217 countries. For 139 of these nati...

Objective: In Colombia there are three main treatment approaches for bilateral profound sensorineural hearing loss, also known as profound deafness (PD): cochlear implants (CI), hearing aids (HA), and no treatment (NT). The objective of this study is to determine the optimal treatment approach for PD in terms of productivity and cost-effectiveness...