A cross-sectional study to compare levels of physical activity among adolescents in rural and urban areas of Western Maharashtra

Abstract

BackgroundChildhood and adolescent overweight and obesity has been associated with long term health deterioration. Lack of physical activity in this age group is an important contributing factor towards increase in overweight and obesity. Due to vast socio-cultural differences across India, it is important to assess the patterns of physical activity in different age groups and regions, to understand the differences among adolescents in different socio-geographic regions. However, the studies from India are inconsistent due to use of varied parameters and methodology and a need was felt of incorporating easy to use measures of quantifying physical activity. MethodsThe study was carried out on 416 adolescents (aged 10 to 17 years) from 2 schools each from urban and rural area of Western Maharashtra. The study populations were stratified by gender and age. The data on physical activity was collected using a pre-tested, researcher-administered questionnaire adapted from the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ) and the Physical Activity Questionnaire- Adolescent (PAQ-A). Results16.8 percent of rural adolescents did not meet the defined criteria for adequate physical activity as compared to 33.2 percent in the urban population. Urban adolescent population was found to have significantly higher anthropometric measures of adiposity. ConclusionHigher proportion of adolescents performing adequate physical activity is likely to be a key factor in keeping the BMI and TMI lower in rural as compared to urban adolescent population.