Sedentary Behavior and Physical Activity of Schoolchildren from a Low-income Region in Brazil: Associations with Maternal Variables

Ricardo Andrade Bezerra,Gledson Tavares Amorim Oliveira,Érica Roberta Barbalho,Ursula Viana Bagni,Ana Paula Trussardi Fayh,Ilanna Marques Gomes Da Rocha,Fábio Resende De Araújo

doi:10.36311/jhgd.v31.12230

Ricardo Andrade Bezerra, Gledson Tavares Amorim Oliveira + Show 5 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.36311/jhgd.v31.12230

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Abstract

Introduction: In the last decade, an increasing number of studies investigated markers of Sedentary Behavior (SB) and Physical Activity (PA) in school-age children since they lead to nutritional status changes in this group. Objective: To analyze associations between maternal factors and SB and PA of schoolchildren. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study involving 410 mothers of children enrolled between the first and the fifth year in municipal schools of Santa Cruz, RN, Brazil. By applying questionnaires, socioeconomic variables of the family, maternal data, and habits related to SB and PA on weekdays and weekends were investigated. Pearson’s chi-square test and Fisher’s exact test were used to test associations. Results: It was observed that income below one minimum wage and less maternal education were associated with greater active transportation among children (69.3%, p = 0.012 and 68.4%, p = 0.022, respectively). Children from low-income families (65.4%, p = 0.016) and who had six and seven siblings (8.2%, p = 0.023 and 7.6%, p = 0.037, respectively) presented lower SB at the weekend. Low level of maternal education was associated with reduced PA during the week (70.8%, p = 0.024). Conclusion: Socioeconomic (i.e., family income and number of siblings) and maternal factors (i.e., level of education) are important indicators for time spent on sedentary behavior and physical activity of schoolchildren.

Highlights

In the last decade, an increasing number of studies investigated markers of Sedentary Behavior (SB) and Physical Activity (PA) in school-age children since they lead to nutritional status changes in this group
The study found that adolescents whose mothers had superior education spent more time in sedentary behavior (SB) and less time in mild and moderate-vigorous physical activity (PA) than adolescents whose mothers had completed high school[12]. These findings suggest that adolescents with low socioeconomic status may have advantages regarding daily PA practice, which differs from the National Schoolbased Health Survey results[9]
A total of 410 participants were included once they presented all data to assess the primary outcomes of sedentary behavior and physical activity

Summary

Introduction

An increasing number of studies investigated markers of Sedentary Behavior (SB) and Physical Activity (PA) in school-age children since they lead to nutritional status changes in this group. The number of studies investigating sedentary behavior (SB) and physical activity (PA) markers in school-age children has been increasing[1], once they lead to nutritional status changes in this group[2,3,4,5,6]. Developing countries do not always have places to practice PA due to the lack of resources for investments in education and health[5,9]. Such a scenario may favor PA practice reduction in schoolchildren, which can be related to the lack of investment in this area[7,9,10]. The proportion of private school students with access to PA at school is four times higher in the national scenario and six times higher in the northeast region of Brazil, indicating that better socioeconomic conditions reflect on students’ access to PA11

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