Padrão de actividade física. Estudo em crianças de ambos os sexos do 4º ano de escolaridade

Abstract

Physical activity patterns. A study in primary school children of both gender. The present study is aimed to perceive the different standards of physical activity in leisure time and the pattern of physical activity (regarding its manner, intensity, duration and frequency) of children within school context. A group of 120 children of both sexes, around the age of ten, attending Year 4 was selected amongst two Primary Schools in Vila Nova de Gaia. To assess the physical activity within their free time it was used Godin and Shephard’s (21) questionnaire. Forty-nine children were asked to wear a portable accelerometer (Tritrac-R3D) for five days in order to assess their physical activity at school. The statistical procedures used were an average descriptive gauge, a standard deviation, unconditional and comparative occurrence; the independent measurement t-test and the Mann-Whitney non-parametric test. The results and conclusions obtained through this study suggest that: (1) boys show a greater rate of activity during free time in comparison to girls, specially in what concerns to high vigour physical activity; (2) children clearly manifest a pattern of physical activity which is fortuitous and it varies in its intensity and duration; (3) during school time children have physical activities of low intensity with less than 30 minutes per day of it being moderate/vigorous; (4) in the playground boys are significantly more physically active than girls (p<0.05); (5) even in planned PE sessions the standard of physical activity is of low intensity thus demonstrating children spend less than 50% of lessons performing moderate/vigorous exercises; (6) a change of behaviour is neither reflected in planned PE sessions nor in playground activity regardless of the energy outlay.