SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF THE PREVALENCE OF LIFESTYLE BEHAVIORS IN PERU: AN ANALYSIS OF TOBACO USE, ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, AND FRUIT AND VEGETABLE INTAKE

Vera-Ponce V.J.; Vásquez-Romero L.E.M.; Zuzunaga-Montoya F.E.; Loayza-Castro J.A.; Valladolid-Sandoval L.A.M.; Vigil-Ventura E.; Gutiérrez de Carrillo C.I. · Revista de la Facultad de Medicina Humana (2025) · DOI: 10.25176/rfmh.v25i3.6838

Resumen

Introduction: Lifestyle behaviors are crucial determinants of public health in Peru. However, heterogeneity in the measurement of these factors hinders an accurate understanding of their prevalence. Objective: To conduct a systematic review to evaluate the prevalence of four lifestyle behaviors in Peru and to analyze the definitions and measurement methods used. Methods: Observational studies that assessed at least one of the four lifestyle behaviors in the adult Peruvian population were included. Due to significant heterogeneity in the definitions and measurements across studies, a narrative synthesis of the results was performed instead of a meta-analysis. Results: Fifteen studies published between 2007 and 2024 were included. Considerable heterogeneity was observed in the definitions and measurements of lifestyle behaviors. For tobacco use, definitions ranged from “current smoking” to “daily smoking.” Alcohol consumption was variably defined, including “binge drinking” and “heavy drinking.” Physical activity was measured using the IPAQ in some studies, while others applied their own definitions. Fruit and vegetable intake was mainly assessed by the number of daily servings. Conclusions: Lifestyle behaviors were found to be inadequate in most of the included studies. The development of a standardized set of definitions and measures for lifestyle behaviors in Peru is recommended, ensuring international comparability while remaining sensitive to the local context. © Artículo publicado por la Revista de la Facultad de Medicina Humana de la Universidad Ricardo Palma. Es un artículo de acceso abierto, distribuido bajo los términos de la Licencia Creative Commons: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International, CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Instituciones: Universidad Continental; Universidad Nacional Toribio Rodríguez de Mendoza de Amazonas