Research reveals health indicators associated with chronic diseases in the country

The Ministry of Health announced this Thursday (7), world health dayresults of the Vigitel 2021 Survey, one of the largest health surveys in Brazil.

In all, 27,093 people aged 18 or over, from all capitals residing in all Brazilian capitals and the Federal District, were interviewed between September 2021 and February 2022.

Estimates provide the frequency of risk or protective factors for chronic diseases, grouped by topics involving: smoking, overweight and obesity, eating patterns, physical activity patterns, alcohol consumption, self-assessment of health status, prevention
of cancer and referred morbidity.

smoking

Smoking and passive exposure to tobacco are important risk factors for the development of a number of chronic diseases, such as cancer, lung diseases and cardiovascular diseases.

The frequency of adults who smoke ranged from 4% in Aracaju to 14.5% in Campo Grande. The highest frequencies of smokers were found, among men, in Campo Grande (22.2%), in the Federal District (17.7%) and in Curitiba (14.9%) and, among women, in São Paulo (9, 7%), Rio Branco (9.6%) and Florianópolis (8.7%).

Considering all capitals, the frequency of adult smokers was 9.1%, being higher in males (11.8%) than in females (6.7%). In the total population, the frequency of smokers tended to be lower among young adults (before 34 years of age) and among those aged 65 years and over.

In relation to passive smokers, among men, the highest frequencies were observed in Rio de Janeiro (11.2%), Distrito Federal (10.2%) and Aracaju (9.7%) and, among women, in Belo Horizonte (10.8%), Rio Branco (10.0%) and Boa Vista (9.9%).

Overweight and obesity

In population surveys, the diagnosis of nutritional status is based on the body mass index (BMI), obtained by dividing weight, measured in kilograms, by height squared, measured in meters (kg/m²). Overweight is diagnosed when the BMI reaches a value equal to or greater than 25 kg/m², while obesity is diagnosed with a BMI value equal to or greater than 30 kg/m².

The frequency of overweight adults ranged from 49.3% in São Luís to 64.4% in Porto Velho. The highest frequencies of overweight were observed, among men, in Porto Velho (67.5%), João Pessoa (66.5%) and Manaus (65.2%) and, among women, in Manaus (61.8 %), Porto Velho and Belém (61%). The lowest frequencies of overweight, among men, occurred in Salvador (50.8%), São Luís (51.4%) and Vitória (55.8%) and, among women, in Palmas (45%), Teresina (46.4%) and São Luís
(47.5%).

In the capitals, the frequency of overweight was 57.2%, being higher among men (59.9%) than among women (55%). In the total population, the frequency of this condition increased with age up to 54 years and decreased with increasing education, according to the survey.

Regarding obesity, the frequency varied between 17.9% in Vitória and 26.4% in Porto Velho. The highest frequencies of obesity were observed, among men, in Aracaju (27.9%), Goiânia (26.7%) and Porto Velho (26.6%) and, among women, in Manaus (26.6% ), Recife (26.5%) and Porto Velho (26.2%). The lowest frequencies occurred, among men, in Recife (17.7%), São Luís and Salvador (18.6%), and among women, in Palmas (16.1%), Vitória (16.8%) and Teresina (17.2%).

food consumption

The Vigitel survey also gathers indicators of food consumption considered markers of healthy eating patterns (including fruits and vegetables, beans and unprocessed or minimally processed foods that are protectors for chronic diseases) and markers of unhealthy eating patterns (such as soft drinks and ultra-processed foods).

In the analysis, the consumption of fruits and vegetables was considered regular when both foods were
consumed on five or more days of the week. The frequency of adults who regularly consume fruits and vegetables ranged from 22.6% in Rio Branco to 44.7% in Belo Horizonte.

The highest frequencies, among men, were found in Curitiba (37.1%), Belo Horizonte (36.7%) and Porto Alegre (35.9%) and the lowest in São Luís (14.0%), Rio Branco (19.2%) and Salvador (20.2%). Among women, the highest frequencies were found in Florianópolis (52.1%), Belo Horizonte (51.4%) and the Federal District (50.3%) and the lowest in Rio Branco (25.7%), Porto Velho (28.2%) and Salvador (30.6%).

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends the daily intake of at least 400 grams of fruits and vegetables, which is approximately equivalent to the daily consumption of five servings of these foods.

The frequency of adults who reported drinking soft drinks on five or more days of the week ranged from 4% in Natal to 25.7% in Porto Alegre.

The highest frequencies, among men, were found in Campo Grande (28.8%), Porto Alegre (27.6%), and Cuiabá (24.6%), and the lowest in Natal (4.6%), Salvador (6.9%) and Teresina (7.1%). Among women, the highest frequencies were found in Porto Alegre (24.2%), Cuiabá (16.2%) and Curitiba (15.8%), and the lowest frequencies in Maceió (2.8%), Natal ( 3.4%) and Salvador (3.8%).

In the group of capitals, the frequency of consumption of soft drinks on five or more days of the week was 14%, being higher among men (17.2%) than among women (11.3%).

The frequency of adults who reported consuming five or more groups of ultra-processed foods the day before the interview ranged from 10% in Salvador to 27.8% in Macapá.

The highest frequencies of this condition among men were found in Curitiba (32.3%), Porto Alegre (30.0%) and Manaus (29.7%), and the lowest occurred in Salvador (13.3%), Aracaju ( 15.1%), João Pessoa and Vitória (15.3%). Among women, the highest frequencies were found in Macapá
(26.9%), Cuiabá (20.4%) and Porto Alegre (19.7%), and the lowest in Salvador (7.3%), Vitória (8.6%) and Florianópolis (10.5% ).

Physical activity

In the research, physical activities practiced in four contexts were evaluated: in free time or leisure, in occupational activity, in commuting and in the context of domestic activities.

The frequency of adults who do physical activity in their free time equivalent to at least 150 minutes of moderate practice per week ranged from 32.3% in São Paulo to 44.0% in Vitória.

Among men, the highest frequencies were found in Belém (50%), Recife (49.2%), São Luís and Aracaju (49%), and the lowest in Campo Grande (35.9%), São Paulo (36, 6%) and Cuiabá (39.6%). Among women, the highest frequencies were observed in Vitória (44.5%), Palmas (41.7%) and Natal (39.7%), and the lowest in Rio de Janeiro (24.2%), in São Paulo (28.7%) and Porto Alegre (30.1%).

The research considers as insufficient physical activity the equivalent of less than 150 minutes per week of the sum of time spent in all types of moderate physical activities and less than 75 minutes of vigorous intensity.

The frequency of adults with insufficient physical activity practice ranged from 39.8% in Goiânia to 51.8% in Porto Alegre. Among men, the highest frequencies were found in Campo Grande (46.1%), Cuiabá (44.8%) and João Pessoa (43.5%), and the lowest in Goiânia (30.3%), Boa Vista ( 33.7%) and Natal (33.9%). Among women, the highest frequencies were observed in Rio de Janeiro (63.1%), Porto Alegre (59.6%) and Manaus (59.2%), and the lowest in Florianópolis (43.4%), Goiânia (48.2%) and
Victory (48.8%).

health condition

The frequency of adults who negatively evaluated their health status (as bad or very bad) ranged from 3.0% in Florianópolis to 7.2% in Rio Branco. In the group of 27 cities, 4.7% of the individuals evaluated their health status negatively, with this proportion being higher in women (5.5%) than in men (3.7%).

The frequency of adults who reported a medical diagnosis of depression ranged from 7.2% in Belém to 17.5% in Porto Alegre. In the context of the capitals, the frequency of medical diagnosis of depression was
of 11.3%, being higher among women (14.7%) than among men (7.3%).

Data from the Vigitel survey are used by managers and data analysts in the formulation of public health policies.

According to the Ministry of Health, as of this year, the information generated will also be made available on the Integrated Health Surveillance Platform (IVIS), allowing the consultation of indicators for each risk factor monitored per year.