Environmental and gender‐related barriers are limiting physical activity in Mexican public high‐school students

Abstract

High prevalence of inactivity (40.4%) is found in Mexican youth. Overweight and obesity have increased substantially in Mexico, affecting 5.7 million of adolescents. This study identified Mexican high‐school students’ prevalence of physical activity (PA) and environmental/gender‐related barriers for exercising at school. A PA survey and 5‐day pedometer determinations (n=1324) were performed in 15–19 year‐old male and female students of 40 Mexico City public high schools. In‐depth interviews with school key informants (n=40) and 20 focus groups with students (n=180) were conducted. A third of the students were low‐active (30.6 %, 95% CI: 27.2–34.2) and 11.4% (8.9–14.4) were non‐active. Inactivity prevalence was significantly higher in women. Environmental barriers for exercising at school were organizational, instrumental, logistic, and financial. Gender‐related barriers were female segregation by PA school trainers, predominance of “masculine” sports, image and privacy issues, low self‐motivation, and weak organization/leadership, Students lack a supportive environment for performing PA at high school. Gender‐oriented interventions must be developed to overcome female sedentary lifestyle. Funding: Mexico's Ministry of Education.