PHYSI CAL EXERCI SE ACCORDI NG TO NURSI NG STUDENTS’ PERCEPTI ONS
1Car la Rober t a Mont eir o2
Ana Cr ist ina Mancussi e Far o3
Mon t eir o CR, Far o ACME. Ph y sical ex er cise accor d in g t o n u r sin g st u d en t s’ p er cep t ion s. Rev Lat in o- am Enfer m agem 2006 novem br o- dezem br o; 14( 6) : 843- 8.
This st udy aim ed t o get t o know t he percept ions of undergraduat e st udent s from t he Universit y of São
Paulo College of Nursing about physical exercise as an inst rum ent t o m aint ain healt h and well being. Dat a were
collect ed t h r ou gh t h e applicat ion of a qu est ion n air e in class, in v olv in g 1 2 2 u n der gr adu at e st u den t s. I n t h is
gr oup, 52. 23% believ ed t hat phy sical ex er cise should only be r ecom m ended t o people w it h healt h pr oblem s.
Only 8% t hought t hat ex er cise can pr ev ent diseases, and only 6. 61% uses pr ot ect ion equipm ent . Ther efor e,
we concluded t hat nursing st udent s need t o be bet t er prepared t o be able t o int ervene correct ly as professionals.
DESCRI PTORS: m ot or act iv it y ; nur sing; healt h
ACTI VI DAD FI SI CA SEGÚN LA PERCEPCI ÓN DE ESTUDI ANTES DE ENFERMERÍ A
La f in alid ad d e est e est u d io f u e con ocer la p er cep ción d e alu m n os d e p r eg r ad o d e la Escu ela d e
Enferm ería de la Universidad de Sao Paulo sobre la práct ica de act ividad física para m ant ener la salud y el bien
est ar. La recolect a de dat os fue realizada m ediant e la aplicación de un cuest ionario en aula y part iciparon 122
est udiant es. En est e grupo, el 52,23% cree que la act ividad física t iene que ser recom endada solam ent e a las
per sonas con alt er aciones de la salud. Sólo el 8% de ellos cr ee que sea capaz de pr ev enir enfer m edades. La
con cl u si ón es q u e h ay n ecesi d ad d e m ej or p r ep ar aci ón d e l os al u m n os, con v i st as a l a ef i caci a d e su s
in t er v en cion es cu an do pr of esion ales.
DESCRI PTORES: act iv idad m ot or a; enfer m er ía; salud
ATI VI DADE FÍ SI CA SEGUNDO A PERCEPÇÃO DOS ESTUDANTES DE ENFERMAGEM
Est e est udo t eve com o obj et ivo conhecer a percepção do aluno de graduação da Escola de Enferm agem
da Universidade de São Paulo sobre a prát ica de at ividade física para a m anut enção da saúde e do bem - est ar.
A colet a de dados se deu m edian t e a aplicação de u m qu est ion ár io em sala de au la, t en do par t icipado do
est udo 122 alunos. Nesse gr upo, 52,23% acr edit am que a at ividade física deve ser r ecom endada apenas par a
q u em ap r esen t e alt er ações d e saú d e. Ap en as 8 % d eles acr ed it am n a p r ev en ção d e d oen ças at r av és d a
pr át ica de at iv idade f ísica e, ain da, e apen as 6 , 6 1 % f azem u so de equ ipam en t os de pr ot eção. Dian t e dos
r esult ados, conclui- se que há necessidade de m elhor pr epar ação dos alunos dur ant e a gr aduação, par a que
esses, possam in t er v ir efet iv am en t e qu an do pr ofission ais.
DESCRI TORES: at iv idade m ot or a; en fer m agem ; saú de
1 Paper extracted from the Undergraduate Nursing Course Conclusion Monograph funded by the São Paulo State Research Foundation; 2 Fourth- year
Undergraduate Nursing Student, e-m ail: carlynha_m @hotm ail.com ; 3 Free Lecturer, Advisor, e-m ail: [email protected]. University of São Paulo College of Nursing
I NTRODUCTI ON
U
r banizat ion, lack of public ar eas, fear of violence and t echnological facilit ies t hat suppress t he pr im ar y funct ion of life, w hich is locom ot ion, hav e been causing what we can call “ hypokinetic” diseases. Sedentariness is the m ost prevalent risk factor in the Br azilian popu lat ion , m u ch h igh er t h an ot h er r isk fact or s lik e sm ok ing, ar t er ial hy per t ension, obesit y and alcoholism .The need t o adopt healt hy living habit s has been dissem inat ed in societ y, as illust rat ed by t he increased dem and and at t endance of sport s facilit ies, public ar eas for phy sical act iv it y, spor t s clubs and gy m s. This r ev eals t he em er gence of a new ar ea, which we should pay attention to, in order to identify and, m ainly, ident ify t his “ new” client , who pract ices physical activity, and the athlete, who practices sports for professional or leisure purposes ( 1).
Even if we have not perceived t his yet , t his client is alr eady par t of nur sing pr ofessionals’ daily r ealit y, as w e r out inely adv ise people w ho at least pract ice phy sical act iv it y. We should r eflect on t his clientele and ask ourselves if we are prepared to offer t his car e, as t hese per sons lack not only car e, but m ainly prevent ion of m usculoskelet al inj uries ( 1).
And what is self- care like? We need to reflect on healt h m aint enance and t he benefit s of physical act ivit y in t erm s of self- care.
Nu r sin g st u den t s at t h e Un iv er sit y of São Paulo ( USP) are m ainly young people, deeply involved in their j oviality and, hence, physical productivity. They also display a great sense of initiative, a characteristic t hat j oins and organizes ot her young people for t he sake of sport s act ivit ies in nursing.
These st udent s’ ex pr ession w it h r espect t o sport s pract ice and physical act ivit y gives rise t o t he q u est ion ab ou t t h ese ab ilit ies d ir ect ed at h ealt h pr om ot ion.
OBJECTI VES
General: Get to know undergraduate nursing st udent s’ percept ion about pract icing physical act ivit y t o m a i n t a i n h e a l t h a n d w e l l - b e i n g ; S p e c i f i c :
Characterize undergraduate nursing students in term s o f a g e , g e n d e r, e t h n i cs, ci t y o f o r i g i n , cu r r e n t occupat ion, physical act ivit y pr act ice, occur r ence of ph y sical, v isu al an d/ or h ear in g alt er at ion s an d/ or
deficiency; I dent ify m usculoskelet al inj uries suffered an d r ep or t ed b y st u d en t s as a r esu lt of p h y sical a ct i v i t y, t r e a t m e n t a n d p r e v e n t i o n ; Ve r i f y t h e par t icipat ion of phy sically, v isually and/ or hear ing-im paired st udent s in physical act ivit y and/ or sport s.
METHOD
St udy t ype
We carried out an exploratory and descriptive st udy wit h a quant it at ive approach.
Sam ple and sit e
Th e sam p l e co n si st ed o f 1 2 2 o f t h e 3 5 2 st u d e n t s w h o w e r e r e g u l a r l y e n r o l l e d i n t h e Under gr aduat e Nur sing Cour se at t he Univ er sit y of São Paulo College of Nur sing, w ho w er e w illing t o part icipat e in t he st udy aft er receiving clarificat ions by m eans of a responsibilit y t erm , which present ed in for m at ion abou t t h e r esear ch , w it h ex plan at ion s writ t en in accessible language, guarant eeing secrecy and the student ’s anonym ity, as well as the student ’s freedom t o part icipat e in t he st udy.
Dat a collect ion pr ocedur es
Dat a were collect ed t hrough t he applicat ion of a qu est ion n air e in class, af t er appr ov al by t h e Research Ethics Com m ittee at EEUSP and authorization by t he dean’s office. The quest ionnaire consist ed of t h r e e p a r t s, t h e f i r st o f w h i ch co n t a i n e d sociodem ogr aphic dat a for sam ple char act er izat ion. I n t he second part of t he inst rum ent , we exam ined d at a r elat ed t o p h y sical act iv it y. Mu scu losk elet al i n j u r i e s, t h e i r t r e a t m e n t a n d p r e v e n t i o n w e r e invest igat ed in t he t hird part .
RESULTS AND DI SCUSSI ON
St udy subj ect s
pr edom inant ly fem ale pr ofession now aday s, 91. 8% of t he part icipant s were fem ale.
Som e st udent s m ent ioned physical, hearing an d v isu al alt er at ion s an d/ or im pair m en t s. Visu al alt er at ions and/ or im pair m ent s st and out , indicat ed by 4 0 . 9 8 % of par t icipan t s; 1 8 . 8 5 % of t h ese on ly referred t o m yopia, w hile 12.29% indicat ed m yopia and ast igm at ism .
Concept ion of physical act ivit y and it s pract ice as a way t o m aint ain healt h and well- being
I n t ot al, 62.35% of st udent s concept ualized physical act ivit y as t he pract ice of physical exercise or any ot her act ivit y involving body m ovem ent , wit h phy sical effor t and ener gy consum pt ion. Mor eov er, 24.69% of st udent s also considered physical act ivit y as an activity that is beneficial to health and prom otes self- car e.
Physical activity can be defined as: “ any body m ov em en t pr odu ced by t h e sk elet al m u scles t h at result s in energy consum pt ion”( 2).
Ep id em iolog ical an d ex p er im en t al st u d ies evidence a posit ive relat ion bet ween physical act ivit y and decr eased m or t alit y, also suggest ing a posit ive effect on t he risk of cardiovascular diseases, plasm a lipid profile, bone density m aintenance, reduced back pain and better perspectives in the control of chronic respirat ory diseases. Moreover, posit ive effect s have been reported in prim ary or com plem entary treatm ent of ar t er ioscler osis, per iph er al v en ou s disease an d ost eop or osis, as w ell as sh or t - t er m p sy ch olog ical benefit s, decr eased anx iet y and st r ess and, in t he long t erm , alt erat ions in m oderat e depression, m ood st at e, self- est eem and posit ive at t it udes( 3).
When inquired about the population for which physical act ivit y is indicat ed, 72.95% answered t hat only m ale and fem ale childr en, adolescent s, adult s and elder ly could pract ice phy sical act iv it y, w hile a m inor it y of m er ely 27% believ ed t hat , besides t he m en t ion ed popu lat ion , ot h er s cou ld also ex er cise, in clu d in g p r eg n an t w om en ; p eop le w it h p h y sical, h e a r i n g , v i su a l a n d m e n t a l d i sa b i l i t i e s, b e si d e s chronically- ill and hospit alized pat ient s.
St udent s at t ribut ed t he following benefit s t o physical activity: im proved physical ( 62% ) and m ental co n d i t i o n s ( 2 0 % ) , d i sease p r ev en t i o n , i m p r o v ed quality of life and increased physical and m ental form . Scient ist s incr easingly em phasize t he need for physical activity to be a fundam ental part in global
healt h prom ot ion program s. The Cent re for Disease Cont r ol and Pr ev ent ion ( CDC) in t he Unit ed St at es and t he Am erican College of Sport s Medicine ( ACSM) r e co m m e n d 3 0 m i n u t e s o f m o d e r a t e l y i n t e n se p h y sical act iv it y, p r act iced eit h er con t in u ou sly or int errupt edly, on m ost weekdays ( 4).
Ta b l e 1 - D i st r i b u t i o n o f u n d e r g r a d u a t e n u r si n g st udent s’ answers according t o recom m endat ions for pract icing physical act ivit y. São Paulo, EEUSP, 2004
s n o i t a d n e m m o c e
R Answers
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D 8 11,94
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W 5 7,46
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S 5 7,46
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P 4 5,97
y h tl a e h e
B 3 4,48
s s e n ir a t n e d e
S 3 4,48
t n e m r i a p m i g n it n e s e r p t o
N 2 2,99
e s i c r e x e d l u o h s y d o b y r e v
E 2 2,99
l a t o
T 67 100
Accor ding t o lit er at ur e, t he m ain beneficial e f f e ct s o f p h y si ca l a ct i v i t y a n d e x e r ci se a r e anthropom etric and neurom uscular, such as decreased body fat and increased m uscle m ass, m uscle strength and bone densit y, st rengt hening of connect ive t issue a n d i n cr e a se d f l e x i b i l i t y ; m e t a b o l i c e f f e ct s l i k e increased syst olic volum e, decreased heart frequency a t r e st , i n cr e a se d a e r o b i c p o t e n cy, i n cr e a se d pulm onar y v ent ilat ion, decr eased ar t er ial pr essur e, im pr ov ed lipid pr of ile an d im pr ov ed sen sit iv it y t o insulin; and psychological effect s, such as im proved self- concept , self- est eem and body im age, decreased st ress and anxiet y, im provem ent s in m uscle t ension and insom nia, decreased m edication consum ption and im proved cognit ive funct ions and socializat ion( 5).
There is count less scient ific evidence of t he ef f ect s of p h y sical ex er cise, p h y sical act iv it y an d training on anthropom etric, neurom otor and m etabolic v ar iables dur ing aging, as w ell as t heir effect s on elderly persons’ m ental health. Thus, physical activity h as b een con sid er ed as a f u n d am en t al asp ect of l i f e st y l e w i t h a v i e w t o p r o m o t i n g h e a l t h y a n d successful aging.
hypertension, cerebrovascular accident, arthritis, sleep apnea, im paired m obilit y and increased m ort alit y”( 6).
Ot her benefit s of m uscle st rengt h t raining in o l d ag e ar e: i m p r o v ed w al k i n g sp eed , i m p r o v ed b alan ce, in cr eased lev el of sp on t an eou s p h y sical act iv it y, im pr ov ed self- efficacy, cont r ibut ion t o t he m a i n t e n a n ce a n d / o r i n cr e a se o f b o n e d e n si t y, im proved diet ingest ion and decreased depression( 6).
All of t h ese ben efit s, r esu lt in g fr om t h e adequ at e t r ain in g of t h e agin g sk elet al m u scles, lead t o an increase in t he capacit y t o perform act ivit ies of daily l i v i n g , t h u s co n t r i b u t i n g t o t h e el d er l y p er so n ’ s funct ional independence, pr ov iding a bet t er qualit y of life and healt hy aging.
Moreover, physical exercise contributes to the pr ev ent ion of falls, t hr ough differ ent m echanism s: “ st r engt hening of leg and back m uscles, im pr ov ed r e f l e x e s, i m p r o v e d m o t o r sy n e r g y o f p o st u r a l r eact ion s, im p r ov ed w alk in g sp eed an d in cr eased f l e x i b i l i t y, b o d y w e i g h t m a i n t e n a n ce , i m p r o v e d m o b i l i t y a n d d e cr e a se d r i sk o f ca r d i o v a scu l a r disease”( 6).
The benefit s of pr act icing phy sical act iv it y a cr o ss t h e l i f e cy cl e h a v e b e e n a ck n o w l e d g e d , including dur ing pr egnancy. Nowaday s, som e t y pes of physical activity, such as light exercises in the water, walking and yoga already st and out am ong pregnant wom en. I f regular, m oderat e and cont rolled as early as t he st art of pregnancy, physical act ivit y prom ot es benefit s for m at ernal as well as fet al healt h. Am ong b en ef it s, lit er at u r e h ig h lig h t s t h e p r ev en t ion an d r e d u ct i o n o f b a ck , h a n d a n d f o o t p a i n s a n d cardiovascular stress, strengthening of pelvis m uscles, less prem at ure birt hs and cesarean sect ions, great er flexibilit y and t olerance t o pain, weight gain cont rol and incr eased self- est eem for pr egnant w om en. I n t he fet us, incr eased w eight at bir t h and im pr ov ed nut rit ional condit ion were observed.
The adv ant ages of phy sical act iv it y dur ing p r eg n an cy also ex t en d t o em ot ion al asp ect s an d cont ribut e t o t urn t he pregnant wom an increasingly self- confident and satisfied with their appearance, with high self- esteem and greater satisfaction in exercising. Physical act ivit y during pregnancy decreases d eliv er y p ain s an d con t r ib u t es t o im p r ov ed p ain t olerance am ong physically act ive pregnant wom en, m ainly during extended deliveries, in com parison with u n t r a i n e d w o m e n o r w o m e n w h o o n l y e x e r ci se spor adically( 7).
The Am er ican College of Obst et r icians and Ginecologist s recom m ends physical act ivit y of regular
and m oderate intensity during pregnancy, such as the program direct ed at t he wom an’s gest at ional period, wit h act ivit ies cent ered on her healt h condit ions, on h e r p h y si ca l e x e r ci se e x p e r i e n ce a n d o n t h e dem onst rat ion of int erest and need( 7).
The m ain signs t o st op physical act ivit y are loss of am niot ic fluid, chest pain, v aginal bleeding, h ea d a ch e, d y sp n ea , ed em a , b a ck p a i n , n a u sea , a b d o m i n a l p a i n , u t e r i n e co n t r a ct i o n s, m u scl e w e a k n e sse s, d i zzi n e ss a n d d e cr e a se d f e t a l m o v e m e n t s. Ph y si ca l a ct i v i t y i s a b so l u t e l y cont raindicat ed for pregnant wom en who suffer from ca r d i a c d i se a se , w i t h si g n i f i ca n t h e m o d y n a m i c alt erat ions, rest rict ive obst ruct ive pulm onary disease, m ultiparous wom en with risk of prem aturity, placenta p r ev i a a f t er 2 6 w eek s o f p r eg n a n cy, m em b r a n e rupt ure, persist ent ut erine bleeding in t he second or t h i r d t r i m e st e r, i n co m p e t e n t ce r v i x a n d pr eeclam psia( 7).
An ot h er st u dy dem on st r at ed t h at ph y sical ex er cises st r on g ly con t r ib u t ed as p ar t of a p ost -m ast ect o-m y r ehabilit at ion pr ogr a-m .
Wo m en w h o p ar t i ci p at ed i n t h e p r o g r a m m ent ioned benefit s of physical act ivit y relat ed t o t he p h y si ca l d i m e n si o n , su ch a s i m p r o v e d a r m a n d shoulder m ovem ent , prevent ion of lym phedem a and m uscle st rengt hening; as well as em ot ional benefit s, su ch as im p r ov ed f or m , en er g y, st r ess an d sleep pat t ern( 8) .
Th e b e n e f i t s o f p h y si ca l a ct i v i t y a r e t em porary and can only be m aint ained if t he person regularly and consist ent ly involves in exercise. This suggests that better effects can be reached if physical act ivit y st art s in childhood and cont inues during t he lifet im e. Thus, habit s and at t it udes acquir ed dur ing this period influence behavioral patterns during future l i f e a n d , co n se q u e n t l y, m o r b i d i t y a n d m o r t a l i t y profiles( 2).
Fo r ch i l d r e n a n d a d o l e sce n t s, a n a ct i v e lif est y le b en ef it s t h eir g r ow t h an d d ev elop m en t . Besides h ealt h ben ef it s, ph y sical act iv it y pr ov ides leisure and socialization, contributing to the acquisition of apt it udes and raising self- est eem and confidence. Despit e t h e ack n ow ledgem en t of ph y sical, social and psychological benefit s of regular physical act ivit y, it has been observed t hat , alt hough children still represent the physically m ost active group, activity levels in t his age range have decreased.
let t heir childr en st ay behind unaccom panied( 9). I f
ph y sical act iv it y st an dar ds ar e det er m in ed du r in g childhood, t hen t his decr ease in childr en’s act iv it y levels is a great source of concern, bot h in t erm s of t he pr esent and in t er m s of t hese childr en’s liv ing st andar d as adult s.
As to the physical activity of students in this study, we observe the predom inance of individual over collect ive sport s m odalit ies. I ndividual m odalit ies like sw im m ing, w alking, w eight t r aining, yoga, dancing, f igh t in g, am on g ot h er s, cor r espon d t o 8 0 . 8 5 % of answers, while collect ive sport s like fut sal, handball, basket ball and volley represent only 17.02% .
Most st udent s m ent ioned pract icing physical exercise t wice a week, for one t o t wo hours, at t he Universit y’s sport s cent er. I t was also evidenced t hat m ost st u d en t s h ad on ly b een p r act icin g p h y sical act iv it y in t he last y ear, show ing t hat t his is not a long- t erm habit .
When we asked sedentary students about the reasons for not practicing any kind of physical activity, m ost of t h em alleg ed lack of t im e f or ex er cisin g ( 6 4 . 0 4 % ) . Mor eov er, 2 2 . 4 7 % did n ot ex pr ess t h e d esir e t o st ar t p r act icin g a p h y sical act iv it y an d 11.24% indicat ed t hat t he m ot ive for t he absence of exercise in t heir daily life was lack of m oney. This is probably due t o t he concept ion t hat physical act ivit y sh ou ld b e p r act iced in g y m s, d an cin g or f ig h t in g schools and under t he super v ision of a specialized technician. I n this group, 53.95% m entioned that the lack of physical activity m akes them feel out of shape and 18.42% felt guilty about the situation. Only 17.1% report ed that they m issed practicing physical activity, w h ile 1 0 . 5 3 % said t h ey felt v er y w ell despit e t h e absence of ex er cise.
Musculoskelet al inj uries as a consequence of physical act ivit y and self- care
St u d e n t s m e n t i o n e d t h e f o l l o w i n g m o st fr equent inj ur y t y pes, suffer ed dur ing t he last four years: strains and dislocation, totaling 25% and 17.86% of declared injury types, respectively. Am ong students who were victim s of inj uries, 57.69% sought m edical help and 7.69% treated their injuries them selves. The t r eat m en t s st u d en t s m o st f r eq u en t l y u sed w er e im m obilizat ion ( 26. 47% ) , use of ant i- inflam m at or y agents (20.59% ) and physiotherapy (17.65% ), as well as ot h er t r eat m en t m od es lik e cr y ot h er ap y, r est , com pression and lukewarm wat er com presses.
Most students ( 27.94% ) believed that the best way t o prevent m usculoskelet al inj uries is t o respect on e’s ow n l i m i t s, f ol l ow ed b y t h e i m p or t an ce of st r e t ch i n g ( 1 8 . 6 3 % ) , t e ch n i ca l a cco m p a n i m e n t ( 12.25% ) and use of protection equipm ent ( 11.27% ) . Only 0.49% m ent ioned t he use of im m obilizat ion.
Pr ev en t in g spor t s in j u r ies is pr obably t h e m ost im portant aspect in any athletic program . Sports-relat ed inj uries can be avoided by correct equipm ent use and by effect ive body t raining and condit ioning. Specific t r aining obv iously needs t o be adapt ed t o t he per son and t ype of spor t . I n gener al, w ar m - up r ou t in es in clu de w alk in g or r u n n in g for abou t fiv e m inut es, follow ed by slow and gr adual st r et ching. St ret ching is m aint ained for 10 t o 20 seconds before r e l a x a t i o n , a f t e r w h i ch st r e t ch i n g i s r e p e a t e d . Pr epar in g t h e body f or spor t s act iv it ies in cr eases flexibilit y and decreases t he incidence of st rains and sprains. After exercising, the body needs to cool down in or der t o av oid car diov ascular pr oblem s, such as hypot ension, syncope and arrhyt hm ias. Act ivit y and st ress alt erat ions should occur gradually( 10).
For ch ildr en , m easu r es lik e pads, boar ds, bandages and ot her devices m ust be used t o prot ect risk areas( 11).
Due to the need to extend athletes’ longevit y, t he m ore frequent t herapeut ic indicat ion of physical activity and the rising num ber of people who want these benefit s, pr ev ent ion aspect s should be incr easingly priorit ized by sport s healt h professionals( 12).
D e sp i t e k n o w i n g a b o u t t h e e x i st e n ce o f prevent ion form s, 12.4% of st udent s did not realize any pr ev ent iv e act ion and, as opposed t o w hat is m entioned above, only 6.61% of them use protective equipm ent . The m ost frequent act ions are warm ing-up and st ret ching, pract iced by 28.93% of st udent s.
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CONCLUSI ONS
We conclude t hat , according t o t he answers given by the 122 students in the study sam ple: - as to sam ple characterization - the predom inant age range was between 18 and 37 years; 91.8% of students w er e f em ale; 6 0 . 6 6 % com e f r om São Pau lo Cit y ; 18.85% t ake t he undergraduat e program and work; 40.98% m entioned physical and sensorial alterations; as t o t he st udent ’s percept ion of physical act ivit y -2 4 . 6 9 % of t h e r espon den t s con sider t h at ph y sical act ivit y is beneficial t o healt h; according t o 72.95% , m ale and fem ale childr en, adolescent s, adult s and elderly can practice physical activity; 27% of students believe that pregnant wom en and people with physical, m en t al an d sen sor y d isab ilit ies can also p r act ice ph y sical act iv it y ; 5 2 . 2 3 % of st u den t s r ecom m en d phy sical act iv it y for adult s and elder ly w it h healt h alt erat ions and 11.94% t o prevent diseases;
- as to students’ physical activity - 80.85% of answers indicated the practice of individual m odalities; 53.95% m ent ioned feeling out of shape and 18. 24% guilt y about their sedentariness; 42.86% had suffered som e kind of inj ur y and 27.94% believed t hat r espect ing one’s own lim its and stretching are effective to prevent m u scu l o sk e l e t a l i n j u r i e s; t h e m o st m e n t i o n e d t reat m ent was t he use of im m obilizat ion ( 26.47% ) .
FI NAL CONSI DERATI ONS
Nursing professionals are in direct contact with h eal t h p r o m o t i o n act i o n s, i n cl u d i n g t h r o u g h t h e p r escr i p t i o n , st r u ct u r i n g a n d i m p l em en t a t i o n o f ex er cise pr ogr am s, w het her separ at ely or t oget her wit h ot her healt h professionals( 1).
Acco r d i n g t o t h i s st u d y, u n d e r g r a d u a t e st udent s at t he Univ er sit y of São Paulo College of Nur sing ar e quit e inv olv ed in spor t s pr act ices and p h y s i c a l a c t i v i t y. Th i s f a c t c a n b e c o n s i d e r e d p o si t i v e a s, b esi d es co u n t l ess b en ef i t s, n u r si n g s t u d e n t s ’ p a r t i c i p a t i o n i n p h y s i c a l a n d s p o r t s act iv it ies con t r ib u t es t o t h eir u n d er st an d in g an d in cor por at ion of t he con cept s, ben efit s and dam age o f sp o r t s a n d p h y si ca l a ct i v i t y. Mo r e o v e r, t h e y b e c o m e i n v o l v e d i n s e l f - c a r e . I n a w a y, t h i s su p p o r t s t h e a d e q u a t e t r a i n i n g o f st u d e n t s t o a t t e n d p e o p l e p r a c t i c i n g p h y s i c a l a c t i v i t y a n a t h l et es.
Hen ce, t h e Un der gr adu at e Nu r sin g Cou r se should incorporate contents related to physical activity and sports into its curriculum , as a way of m aintaining h ealt h an d w ell- b ein g . We also b eliev e t h at it is i m p o r t an t t o st i m u l at e an d i n co r p o r at e p h y si cal act ivit y and sport s in academ ic life.
Recebido em : 2.8.2005 Aprovado em : 11.5.2006
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