This was a cross-sectional study conducted in the years 2011-2013 in the city of Presidente Prudente, SP, Brazil. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze possible differences between the levels of PA practiced during the week and at the weekend in obese postmenopausal women. Thus, strategies that seek to minimize the consequences of this period are of great importance for improving the quality of life of these women. Furthermore, we should emphasize that women enter menopause after 40 years old, however, this event may be early or late, 11 so if we take as a reference the life expectancy of the female population which is 78.3 years, 12 it is expected that women are postmenopausal for about 1/3 of their life. Knowing that MVPA is a strong predictor of cardiometabolic health 4 that increased levels of PA are directly related to lower amount of body fat, 3 thus contributing to a reduction in several chronic diseases 4 and that sedentary behavior may increase the risk of mortality, 10 it is of great importance to understand the behavior of weekly physical activity levels in obese postmenopausal women. Moreover, people aged over 50 years who spend a lot of time in sedentary physical activity showed high risk factor for mortality independent of MVPA. 9 the total MVPA at weekends (32 min/week) presented a reduction of 28% compared to weekdays (44 min/week) in men and women aged 63-80 years, participants of a physical activity program. 5 According to the observations of Mota et al.
It is known that intense PA tends to decrease with increasing age and that this situation is particularly pronounced in postmenopausal women.
8 In addition, accelerometers allow the total PA performed during exercise, work, leisure and the different activities of daily living as well as the intensity of these actions, to be obtained. In recent years, accelerometry has been receiving increased attention, as it is an objective method, which allows the estimation of the relationship between physical activity and health, and identifies findings which are not perceptible when using subjective measures such as questionnaires. Various techniques have been used to attempt to quantify the total level of PA performed. 3 reported that postmenopausal women who demonstrated higher values in minutes of moderate-vigorous PA had lower levels of body fat and higher levels of lean body mass compared to women who demonstrated less than 150 min/week. Corroborating with the recommendations of the ACSM, studies have shown an inverse relationship between PA levels and health and, consequently, with mortality in the general population. The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) 4 emphasizes the importance of the accumulation of at least 30 min/day of moderate-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) in order to maintain health. 3 The prevalence of physical inactivity (<150 min of moderate to vigorous PA weekly) 4 increases with age, reaching 30% in postmenopausal women, 5 a factor which can lead to reduced muscle mass and strength, impaired locomotion and balance, 6 possibly increasing the number of falls and successively decreasing the quality of life thereby leading to dependence to perform daily activities. Menopause is responsible for significant changes in the body, which may contribute to increased fat mass 1 and reduced lean body mass 2 this can be potentiated by low levels of physical activity (PA).
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