Clinical Study The Effect of a Community-Based, Primary Health Care Exercise Program on Inflammatory Biomarkers and Hormone Levels Camila Bosquiero Papini, 1 Priscila M. Nakamura, 1 Lucas P. Zorzetto, 1 Janice L. Thompson, 2 Anna C. Phillips, 2 and Eduardo Kokubun 1 1 Department of Physical Education, S˜ ao Paulo State University, Avenida 24-A, 1515 Bela Vista, 13506-900 Rio Claro, SP, Brazil 2 School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK Correspondence should be addressed to Camila Bosquiero Papini; mila papini@yahoo.com.br Received 29 May 2014; Accepted 30 June 2014; Published 17 July 2014 Academic Editor: F´ abio Santos de Lira Copyright © 2014 Camila Bosquiero Papini et al. his is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. he aim of this study was to analyze the impact of a community-based exercise program in primary care on inlammatory biomarkers and hormone levels. he 1-year quasiexperimental study involved 13 women (mean age = 56.8 ± 11.4 years) and it was developed in two basic health care units in Rio Claro City, Brazil. he physical exercise intervention was comprised of two, 60- minute sessions/week. he inlammatory biomarkers were measured at baseline, 6 months, and 1 year. Repeated measures ANOVA analyses indicated that the intervention was efective in reducing CRP and TNF ater 1 year compared to baseline and 6 months ( < 0.05). here were no changes in IL10, IL6, and insulin ater 1 year. However, leptin signiicantly increased at 1 year ( = 0.016). he major inding of this study is that a community-based exercise program can result in a decrease or maintenance of inlammatory biomarkers ater 1 year, and thus has the potential to be a viable public health approach for chronic disease prevention. 1. Introduction It is well established that chronic diseases are the leading cause of mortality in the world. According to the World Health Organization [1] 60% of all death is attributed to cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancers, and chronic respiratory diseases. he inlammatory process related to chronic diseases, characterized by dysregulation in the balance between pro- and anti-inlammatory processes, is linked with several complications such as insulin resistance, endothelial dysfunction, atherosclerosis, and vascular and metabolic disorders [2–5]. Regular physical exercise has been increasingly viewed as an efective therapeutic strategy for the management of chronic diseases [6]. It has long been known that regular physical activity induces multiple adaptations within skeletal muscles and the cardiorespiratory system, providing posi- tive outcomes for the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases [7, 8]. Some studies have indicated that regular physical activity has anti-inlammatory efects and is asso- ciated with improvement in inlammatory biomarkers such as a reduction in levels of the proinlammatory cytokines [9–14]. According to Pedersen [8], the anti-inlammatory processes provided by physical exercise play important roles in the protection against diseases associated with low-grade inlammation such as cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes. Considering that physical inactivity is the fourth leading cause of death worldwide [15] and causes 6–10% of the major noncommunicable diseases [6], it is necessary to induce social, economic, and environmental changes and multiple strategies that promote public policies related to physical active life style. “Sa´ ude Ativa Rio Claro” (SARC) is a community-based exercise intervention in primary care designed to promote and maintain physical activity levels of residents in Rio Claro City, Brazil. Since 2001, SARC operates in basic health care units and reaches approximately 400 low-income adults aged 35 years or older [16]. Evidence Hindawi Publishing Corporation Mediators of Inflammation Volume 2014, Article ID 185707, 7 pages http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/185707