Association between physical activity level and health perception in obese industrial workers

Abstract

Introduction and Objective: Obesity, characterized as a multifactorial disease, is being identified as an epidemic of the 21st century. Physical activity has a great influence on coping with this disease, not only in the physical aspects, but also in the psychological aspects. Therefore, the objective of this study was to verify the association of the level of physical activity with the perception of health of obese workers in an industry in Santa Catarina. Materials and methods: This is a descriptive, cross-sectional study, in which 101 obese workers of both sexes participated. Health perception was assessed using the following question: "How do you rate your current health status?". Physical activity was assessed using the short version of the IPAQ. Information was collected regarding sex, marital status, and education level. Results: It was observed that 32.7% of obese workers had a negative perception of health and 45.5% were classified as having insufficient levels of physical activity. It was found, through logistic regression that, regardless of gender, marital status and education level, obese workers with insufficient levels of physical activity are twice as likely to have a negative perception of health in relation to those physically active. Conclusion: It was concluded that the negative health perception of obese workers was associated with a low level of physical activity. Therefore, the incorporation of physical activity programs in the work environment can be an alternative to increase the levels of physical activity and assist in maintaining the health status of these individuals.