Standards of physical activity practices in adolescents in a city of Northeastern Brazil

Abstract

The scope of this study was to describe the standards of physical activity practices and analyze its variations as sociodemographic characteristics of adolescents in a city of Northeastern Brazil. The sample consisted of 2,350 adolescents in the city of João Pessoa in the Brazilian State of Paraíba. The prevalence of physical activity was determined and the practice scores (minutes/week) calculated: general and types (sports, exercise, active commuting and recreational activities). Multiple linear regression was used to estimate the relative contribution of the types of practice for the general score of physical activity. The physical activities most practiced were active commuting (55.2%) and sports (52.7%). The activities that presented the greatest explanatory capacity for the overall score of practice were: sports (38.1%) and exercises (21.8%). The explanatory capacity of sports was increased in all subgroups, except in female patients. The practice of exercise contributes to the major changes in the general score in female adolescents from private schools. Recreational activities and active commuting had the largest contribution for the female gender. Sports and exercise were the activities that contributed the most to explain the changes in the general practice score.

Adolescence; Motor activity; Socio-demographic factors; Brazil