Lipid profile and associated factors among an academic community of higher education

• Autor(a) principal: Tavares, Ana Sofia
• Data de Publicação: 2019
• Outros Autores: Ferro, Amadeu Borges, Ventura, Alexandra, Santos, Catarina, Caetano, Magda
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.21/12112
• topic: Lipid profile; Glycemia; Body Mass Index; Physical activity; Academic community; Higher education

Lipid profile, glycemia, and body mass index (BMI) present a direct relationship with lifestyles, eating habits, and practice of physical activity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the lipid profile, glycemia, and relate these variables to each other and to the level of physical activity and BMI in an academic community of Higher Education. Furthermore, it was analyzed whether gender and age groups influence these parameters. A convenience sample of sixty-six participants complete an anonymous questionnaire and was submitted to capillary blood sample collection. Lipid profile and glucose levels were determined by the enzymatic assay. BMI was determined from weight and height measurements, and the level of physical activity was calculated through the application of a questionnaire (IPAQ). Findings showed a positive correlation between glucose values with triglycerides and BMI and the same for Total cholesterol with the remaining values of the lipid profile. A negative correlation was found between HDL cholesterol and BMI. Concerning age group and gender, it was verified that there were higher values of total cholesterol and HDL in females compared to male counterparts and increased glucose levels, Total cholesterol, LDL, triglycerides, and BMI, with increasing age. Concerning lipid profile, there were alterations in 42% of the individuals, and in relation to glycemia there were alterations in 2% of the individuals. 21% of individuals showed a risk of pre-obesity and 3% of obesity. Findings could support educational strategies in academic context in favour of cardiovascular risk reduction.