RISK FACTORS FOR NON-COMMUNICABLE CHRONIC DISEASES IN FRESHMAN AND SENIOR PHYSICAL EDUCATION STUDENTS

Abstract

The study aimed to describe risk factors for chronic diseases (CD) in freshman and senior Physical Education students. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 54 students (34 freshman and 20 senior) undergraduate course of Physical Education at the Federal University of Pelotas. We collected anthropometric, biochemical, and functional variables. Senior students had lower waist circumference, waist-hip ratio, resting systolic blood pressure and blood glucose, and higher LDL cholesterol and total cholesterol / HDL ratio as compared to freshman. We conclude that the four years in the undergraduate course of Physical Education did not result in increased risk for CD.