OBESITY AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY LEVEL IN EMPLOYEES FROM FOOTWEAR INDUSTRY

Sedentary lifestyle and obesity are important factors that are associated with chronic diseases. The aim of this study was to analyze the body mass index (BMI), physical activity level (PAL) of workers in the footwear industry and to verify the correlation between the variables with age, time in the company and time in function. We analyzed 357 employees in the production sector which completed a brief questionnaire with information about age, time in the company and time in function. To evaluate the physical activity level the workers answered to the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) and BMI was calculated by weight and height. The results showed that 17.4% of the employees are sedentary, 24.64% are insufficiently active, 42% are active, and 15.7% are very active. Regarding the classification of BMI, 33.24% of the workers were classified as overweight and 24.3% as obese. There is a significant and positive correlation between age and BMI (r = 0,309; p = 0,0001); between BMI and time in function (r = 0,130; p = 0,013) and between physical activity level and time in function (r = 0.139; p = 0.008). Most of the employees from footwear sector are sedentary and was classified as overweight. This condition has significant correlation with age and time in function. Thus, it is necessary the implementation of occupational health promotion programs to prevent future complications and the improvement in the quality of life in the footwear sector