Judô e saúde: uma análise bibliográfica e estudo transversal na Bahia, Brasil

Abstract

Judo is a martial art involving both attack and defense, composed of a set of sociocultural practices originating from a specific historical context. It is noteworthy that a large number of people currently practice judo in Brazil, and most studies focus on the technical-tactical aspects of this martial art. It is important to emphasize that there are few studies addressing judo and its practitioners from a health perspective, especially considering broader aspects such as well-being, sociodemographic conditions, dietary habits, social interactions, and psychological aspects. Thus, the general objective of this dissertation was to identify the interaction between judo and health-associated factors. The specific objectives were: (i) to map the productions of theses and dissertations related to judo and health, and (ii) to assess the prevalence of Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) and other associated factors in judo practitioners, considering sociodemographic profile, judo experience, quality of life, dietary habits, sleep quality, and sedentary behavior. To achieve these objectives, two studies were conducted. The first involved a literature review of works related to judo registered in the Brazilian Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations, while the second study was a cross-sectional study conducted with judo practitioners in the state of Bahia, Brazil. In the first study, 105 theses and dissertations related to judo were identified. After applying inclusion criteria, 7 studies were analyzed, addressing different dimensions of physical, mental, and nutritional health, as well as the effects of judo on overweight children to psychosocial impacts. These studies were part of 5 postgraduate programs in various regions of Brazil. In the second study, information was collected from 129 participants, with n=87 (67.4%) males and n=42 (32.6%) females, with an average age of 39.1 ± 13.9 years. In summary, male individuals (p=0.035), those with a higher total score of quality of life (p=0.033), and a higher judo rank/belt (p=0.033) had reduced chances of having GAD symptoms. On the other hand, poor sleep quality was associated with GAD symptoms (p=0.006). No significant differences were found for sedentary behavior and dietary habits scores. Based on the findings from both studies, it is concluded that the literature predominantly focuses on sports performance, resulting in a limited number of studies addressing the comprehensive health aspects, especially mental health issues, in individuals who are not professional judo athletes.