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OBJECTIVE: To verify the associations of leisure walking with perceived and objective measures of neighborhood environmental factors stratified by gender and socioeconomic status (SES) in Brazilian adolescents. METHODS: Cross-sectional study with a random sample of 1,130 high school students (47.3% girls; aged 14 to 20 years old) from Porto Alegre, Brazil. Leisure walking and SES were self-reported by the adolescents. Perceived environmental factors were assessed through Neighborhood Environment Walkability Scale for Youth (NEWS-Y). Objective measures were evaluated using Geographic Information Systems, with road network calculated around the adolescent's residential address, using 0.5km and 1.0km buffers. Data collection was carried out in 2017 and generalized linear regression models were used. RESULTS: Leisure walking was positively associated with access to services (0.5 km buffers [Odds ratio (OR) = 2.22] 1.0 km buffers [OR = 2.17]) and lower distance to parks and squares (0.5 km [OR=2.80] 1.0 km [OR = 2.73]) in girls from low SES. Residential density (0.5 km [OR = 1.57] 1.0 km [OR = 1.54]) and walkability index (0.5 km [OR = 1.17] 1.0 km [OR = 1.20]) were associated with leisure walking in girls from middle SES. Boys from low SES showed an inverse association between crime safety and leisure walking (0.5 km [OR = 0.59] 1.0 km [OR = 0.63]). Neighborhood recreation facilities was positively associated with leisure walking in middle SES (0.5 km [OR = 1.55] 1.0 km [OR = 1.60]). Land use mix (0.5 km [OR = 1.81] 1.0 km [OR = 1.81]), neighborhood recreation facilities (0.5 km [OR = 2.32] 1.0 km [OR = 2.28]) and places for walking (0.5 km [OR=2.07] 1.0 km [OR=2.22]) were positively associated with leisure walking in high SES. CONCLUSION: Environmental factors (objectively and subjectively measured) and leisure walking show association in boys and girls of different SES. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Metabolic disorders in childhood and adolescence have been increasing considerably. Thus, the importance of performing an early diagnosis is emphasized. Objective: To analyse the occurrence of metabolic risk using a non-invasive marker in schoolchildren. Methods: This is a descriptive study with a quantitative approach, with random sample of 174 schoolchildren (70 boys and 104 girls) from 10 state high schools in the city of Passo Fundo, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The height (cm) was verified according to the procedures of the Brazilian Sport Project and the waist circumference (cm) was measured with a flexible and inelastic tape measure. From this the waist-to-height ratio was calculated, which takes into account the proportion of abdominal fat by the individual’s height, considering the cut-off point of Ashwell & Hsieh. For data analysis we used descriptive and chi-square statistics. Results: The metabolic risk of schoolchildren was 13.8%, when stratified by sex, the occurrences were 11.4% for males and 15.4% for females, but there was no significant difference between the sexes (X² = 0.54; p= 0.45). Conclusion: The use of non-invasive markers for the diagnosis of metabolic risk indicated a high occurrence of it in schoolchildren, with the girls presenting a higher risk. The use of this method is important because it allows the evaluation of a greater number of schoolchildren and the early identification of health risk. In addition to being a low-cost, easy-to-apply method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]