Time trends of resistance training practice in Brazilian adults from 2006 to 2018: An ecological time-series study

Regular physical exercise is mandatory for health, regardless of the modality. However, it is recommended to include resistance exercises in addition to aerobic exercises. The study aimed to verify the time trends of the resistance training practice in a representative sample of Brazilian adults from 2006 to 2018. The ecological time-series study used the secondary data obtained from the Risk Factors Surveillance System for Chronic Non-communicable Diseases (VIGITEL) of the Brazilian Ministry of Health. The search resulted in a representative sample of 677,819 Brazilian adults from 18 to 120 years old. The resistance training practice was self-reported. Analyses were performed in the overall sample as well as by age groups. Prais-Winsten regressions were used to analyze the time trends, and the significance level was set at p < 0.05. In the overall sample, there was an annual growth rate (AGR) of 0.47% (95% confidence interval (95%CI) = 0.03; 0.90, p= 0.03) in resistance training practice. For the age groups, we found a significant increase in resistance training practice over time in those aged 35-54 years (AGR = 0.65%; 95% CI = 0.44; 0.86, p= 0.001), 55-64 years (AGR = 0.41, 95% CI = 0.23; 0.58, p=0.001) and ≥ 65 years (AGR = 0.22, 95% CI = 0.07; 0.37, p = 0.007). Based on the results, the resistance training practice increased among Brazilians from 2006 to 2018, particularly among those over 35 years old