Physical activity during the weekend by students at a Primary School in Tamaulipas

Abstract

Objective: to determine the level and types of physical activity by students in their fourth to sixth years at a Primary School in Tamaulipas (Mexico) during the weekend. Methodology: a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted in the 2017/2018 school year. The population included all persons enrolled in the fourth to sixth grades in the General César López de Lara Primary School. The sample size was calculated at 100 students. Sociodemographic variables were calculated, as well as the type of physical activity through the "Physical Activity Survey" which includes 33 types of activity and the level of activity, based on the number of daily steps taken during the weekend (sedentary, mild, moderately active, active, high activity). Descriptive and bivariate statistics were conducted. Results: one hundred (100) students participated; 54% were girls, and 34% of them presented obesity. The mean steps during the weekend were 15,821.58; 41% of participants presented sedentary activity and 10% mild, without statistically significant differences by gender. The activities more frequent during the weekend were: running (70%) or going up stairs fast (47%) among the vigorous; the airplane game (15%) or fast walking (35%) among the moderate activities; personal hygiene (99%) together with housework (65%) among the light ones, and watching television among the extremely light activities (99%). Conclusions: the mean steps exceeded recommendations; however, 51% of participants presented sedentarism or mild activity. It is necessary to implement effective actions to reduce the proportion of students with low physical activity during the weekend.