OBJECTIVE: The decrease in the levels of physical activity in the young population has been described thoroughly in several countries, above all in some subgroups of that population. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of physical inactivity in high school adolescents from the João Pessoa city - PB and to analyze its association with indicators of socio-economic status. METHODOLOGY: 2,566 adolescents (1,132 boys and 1,434 girls), ages between 14-18 years (16.5±1.17) participated in this study. Demographic (sex and age) and socio-economic data (work, school type, economic class, and parents' educational background) were raised. Besides that, the level of physical activity (kcal/kg/day) was measured through a diary of physical activity. The adolescents were classified as physically inactive when had daily energy demand <37kcal/kg/day. The ratio prevalence (RP), with respective reliability intervals of 95% (RI95%), was used as association measure. RESULTS: The prevalence of physical inactivity positively associated with the socio-economic status, showing higher prevalence in the adolescents who did not work (boys RP=2.22; RI95%=1.62-3.04 and girls RP=1.52; RI95%=1.19-1.93), and in the girls whose parents presented higher educational background (girls RP=1.20; RI95%=1.05-1.35), compared with the adolescents who worked and the ones whose parents had lower educational background, respectively. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of physical inactivity was high, mainly in the girls. Adolescents who belonged to more priviledged socio-economic strata were more exposed to physical inactivity.
adolescent; physical activity; physical inactivity; socio-economic status
