Physical activity level in overweight adolescents at school: a systematic review

Micael Deivison De Jesus Alves,Michele Caroline De Souza Ribas,Josivan Rosa Dos Santos,Ricardo Aurélio Carvalho Sampaio,Roberto Jerônimo Dos Santos Silva,Devisson Dos Santos Silva

doi:10.1590/1980-0037.2021v23e82375

Abstract

Abstract – The objective of this systematic review was to identify the association between overweight/obesity and level of physical activity in Brazilian children and adolescents in the school setting. For search strategy, the main reference databases (PubMed, LILACS, SciELO, SPORTDiscus, Web of Science, ERIC) were used. Baseline searches resulted in 3,265 potentially relevant titles (2,775 titles after removal of duplicate studies); 21 studies met all inclusion criteria and were included for analysis. Studies were carried out from 2007 to 2019; 47.6% of them were conducted in Southern Brazil, and only one study had nationwide approach. Prevalence from 5.4% to 21% was identified for overweight, 3.5% to 16.9% for obesity and 11.8% to 40.1% for overweight + obesity. According to results, 64.3% of overweight, 69.8% of obese and 37.7% of young overweight people were considered insufficiently active. The non-standardization of instruments to assess levels of physical activity and the lack of information regarding other Brazilian regions were classified as important limitations. The results reinforce the increase in the prevalence of overweight in Brazilian children and adolescents, and the high prevalence of physical inactivity among them. For every ten overweight children/adolescents, six are reported to be insufficiently active.

Highlights

Physical inactivity is a recurrent behavior in the Brazilian population
The highest prevalence was observed among women, in which 51.7% of them accumulated less than 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity physical activity 1
12.9% of children (i.e., 5-9 years old) and 7% of adolescents (i.e., 12-17 years old) are obese according to the Brazilian Association for the Study of Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome[4]

Summary

Introduction

Physical inactivity is a recurrent behavior in the Brazilian population. In 2018, a study reported that 44% of Brazilian adults were classified with insufficient levels of physical activity. The highest prevalence was observed among women, in which 51.7% of them accumulated less than 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity physical activity 1 This behavior represents potential risk for the onset of non-communicable diseases and disorders (NCD), such as type II diabetes mellitus, hypertension and obesity, among others[2]. 12.9% of children (i.e., 5-9 years old) and 7% of adolescents (i.e., 12-17 years old) are obese according to the Brazilian Association for the Study of Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome[4] In this sense, Simões et al.[5] reported alarming 25% of overweight and 11% of obesity levels among young Brazilians.

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion