Health Behaviour Change in Brazilians

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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Chronic diseases are the leading health problem in Brazil and Canada. Such diseases share common risk factors in common, such as physical inactivity, poor diet, and smoking. This context requires a comprehensive approach to change these behavioural risk factors, aiming at the promotion of healthy lifestyles and the prevention of diseases. Although Brazil and Canada have significant differences, particularly in terms of socioeconomic factors, some similarities in the health domain allow both countries to mutually benefit from an exchange of knowledge. For instance, the newest version of Canada's dietary guidelines has incorporated several aspects presented in the pioneering evidence-based dietary guidelines for the Brazilian population, launched in 2014. Similarly, Brazil can greatly benefit if the country follows the Canadian lead in prioritizing investment in physical activity initiatives. The present project aims to verify the effectiveness of a Canadian program to change health behaviours, specifically physical inactivity, poor diet, and smoking, adapted for Brazilians. The project consists of a 12-week randomized controlled trial, based on education and behaviour change techniques focusing on physical activity, healthy eating habits, and smoking cessation. Pre-, post, and 3-month follow-up health and fitness assessments will evaluate respectively the initial condition of the participants, eventual changes and if the changes persist.

Official Title
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Health Behaviour Change in Brazilians - Effectiveness of a Pan-Canadian English-language Program, Translated Into Brazilian Portuguese, to Increase Healthy Behaviours

Conditions
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Physical Inactivity, Eating Behavior, Smoking

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Health behaviour change


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Brazilians who speak Brazilian Portuguese fluently, and present at least one of the following risk factors: physical inactivity (<150 min of MVPA per week) unhealthy diet (consumption of fewer than five fruits/vegetables per day) smoking (any amount of personal tobacco use) Exclusion Criteria: unstable clinical conditions inability to participate fully in the program due to mental or physical limitations concurrently participation in other studies of intensive health behaviour modification

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years
Maximum Age: 64 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Prevention
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Experimental<br>12-week intervention consisting of educational sessions and health behaviour change techniques | Behavioral: Health behaviour change<br>* weekly sessions addressing strategies to tackle behavioural risk factors for chronic disease<br>|
| No Intervention: Waitlist control group<br>After the first 12 weeks, this group will receive the same intervention as the experimental group | |

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Physical activity | change in the proportion of participants engaging in ≥ 150 min moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) per week | 12 weeks |