Forjaz et al Cardiovascular risk and physical activity

Objective- Physical exercise helps to prevent cardio-vascular disorders. Campaigns promoting exercise have taken many people to the parks of our city. The most appro-priate exercise for preventing cardiovascular disorders is the aerobic modality; inappropriate exercise acutely increases cardiovascular risk, especially in individuals at higher risk. Therefore, assessing the cardiovascular risk of these in-dividuals and their physical activities is of practical value. Methods- In the Parque Fernando Costa, we carried out the project “Exercício e Coração ” (Exercise and He-art) involving 226 individuals. Assessment of the cardio-vascular risk and of the physical activity practiced by the individuals exercising at that park was performed with a questionnaire and measurement of the following parame-ters: blood pressure, weight, height, and waist/hip ratio