Espiritualidade/religiosidade e prática de atividade física em indivíduos hipertensos

Abstract

Introduction: Arterial hypertension remains an important cause of morbidity and mortality in the general population. Regular physical activity is seen as the predominant strategy for reducing blood pressure and controlling cardiovascular outcomes and, among others, spirituality/religiosity, by motivating healthier lifestyle habits, can be an important determinant for this. Objectives: To verify the prevalence and associated factors in the regularity of physical exercise by hypertensive people and the role of spirituality/religiosity in this context. Method: Cross-sectional, quantitative study, carried out with 237 hypertensive participants in a large Brazilian teaching hospital. Anthropometric measurements were taken, in addition to collecting sociodemographic/clinical data and lifestyle habits. To determine the level of physical activity, the International Physical Activity Questionnaire was used and, to assess the level of spirituality/religiosity, the Duke Religiosity Inventory and the Brief Multidimensional Measure of Religiosity/Spirituality were applied. The results were evaluated by logistic regression, with p<0.05 being considered significant. Results: The mean age of the participants was 63.03±12.06 years, with a prevalence of males (53.6%), whites (44.7%) and overweight (67.8%). The prevalence of physically active/very active was 60.8% (n=144) and irregularly active/sedentary 39.2% (n=93). Sex (OR: 2.10), comorbidity (OR: 1.35) and intrinsic religiosity (OR: 0.87) were statistically significant (p<0.05) for a greater risk of sedentary lifestyle. Conclusion: Female sex, a greater number of comorbidities and lower intrinsic religiosity increase the risk of irregular physical activity or a sedentary lifestyle in hypertensive individuals.