Associação entre passos diários medidos por acelerometria e diabetes em participantes do ELSA-Brasil

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus is a serious chronic disease whose main characteristic is hyperglycemia (increased blood glucose), accompanied by changes in lipid and protein metabolism. For individuals with diabetes mellitus, physical activity provides significant benefits and is an essential tool for metabolic management. Counting the number of daily steps can be an important metric of physical activity for the prevention and treatment of this disease if performed regularly and respecting a minimum daily amount. Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the association between daily steps and diabetes, in addition to verifying what minimum amount should be performed daily for a protective effect in participants of the Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brazil). Methods: The study was cross-sectional and participants from the 2nd segment (2016- 2018) of the ELSA-Brazil study were analyzed, with a sample of 12,636 participants. The dependent variable was diabetes, assessed by laboratory tests, and the independent variable was daily steps assessed by accelerometry. The covariates were: sex, age, obesity, smoking, leisure-time physical activity, monthly family income, abdominal obesity, race/color and glycated hemoglobin. The associations between the dependent variable and the independent variable were analyzed by logistic regression. The odds ratio with 95% CI was estimated. Results: An association was found between daily steps and diabetes (OR = 0.76, CI = 0.70-0.83), in addition to the cutoff point of 6,880 with area under the ROC curve = 0.58 (CI = 0.57-0.59). After analyzing effect modification and confounding, it was found that, in men, there was a statistically significant association for those with abdominal obesity (OR = 0.62, CI = 0.43-0.87) and who performed moderate/vigorous leisure-time physical activity (OR = 0.64, CI = 0.50- 0.80). In women, an association was observed only in those with abdominal obesity (OR = 0.86, CI = 0.75-0.98). Conclusion: Based on the results found in this study, we can conclude that the number of daily steps has a protective effect against diabetes, especially in men and women with abdominal obesity and in men who practice moderate/vigorous leisure-time physical activity.