OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of physical inactivity and its association with nutritional status, body image dissatisfaction and sedentary behavior in adolescents. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 595 schoolchildren (196 boys and 399 girls; age from 14 to 18 years old) enrolled in public schools of Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil. The independent variables were age, body image perception, nutritional status and sedentary behavior (television, video game and computer). Adolescents with less than 300 minutes of physical activity per week were classified as insufficiently active. The logistic regression model was used to identify possible associations between physical inactivity and independent variables. RESULTS: The prevalence of physical inactivity was 25.4% (male: 21.9%, female: 27,1%, p=0,20). No association between physical inactivity and the independent variables was observed among boys. In contrast, girls classified as insufficiently active presented a 2.55 times higher chance of presenting low weight (95%CI=1.36-4.77). In addition, the chance of physical inactivity was 1.67 times higher among girls who watched television for more than two hours per day (95%CI=1.03-2.71). CONCLUSIONS: One out of four adolescents was classified as insufficiently active. Low weight and watching television for more than two hours per day were strongly associated with physical inactivity among adolescent girls. The results suggest that adolescents, especially girls, need to be advised regarding the importance of regular physical activity and a healthy diet.
Adolescent; motor activity; nutritional status; students; health; life style
