Perceptions and Practices of Physical Activity Among Colombian Overweight/Obese Schoolchildren

Reasons and promotion strategies of physical activity constraints in obese/overweight children and adolescents

To explore the reasons for low levels of physical activity in obese/overweight children and adolescents and to propose appropriate strategies to promote their physical activity (PA). This review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines by searching and analyzing the literature of studies related to physical activity in obese/overweight children and adolescents published between January 2003 and January 2023 in Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed databases. A total of 31 relevant studies were included for analysis, of which 16 were quantitative and 15 qualitative. According to these studies, the PA of obese/overweight children and adolescents is mainly constrained by negative factors: Individual, interpersonal, and environmental. Among these factors, low levels of individual motivation and psychological sensitivity and vulnerability, lack of family support, negative social feedback, insufficient protection from government policies, and inadequate support from the built environment are the main reasons that constrain their PA. The promotion of PA in obese/overweight children and adolescents, who are subject to more constraints at all levels, requires a system of security that involves the government, the community, the school, and the family to address the problems they encounter and enhance the sustainability of engagement in PA.

Investigaciones realizadas en Colombia relacionadas con actividad física y obesidad 2010-2020

Introducción: La obesidad es un problema de salud pública mundial. La actividad física es una herramienta importante de promoción y prevención de este problema. Se desconoce las investigaciones realizadas en Colombia al respecto, lo cual es necesario para implementar políticas públicas eficientes. Objetivo: analizar las investigaciones colombianas encontradas en bases de datos científicas sobre la actividad física y obesidad. Metodología: revisión sistemática de artículos de investigación realizados en Colombia del año 2010 al 2020, en las bases de datos PubMed y SciELO.  Resultados: de 87 artículos encontrados, 23 cumplieron los criterios de inclusión. El 91,3 % publicados en revistas indexadas internacionalmente. 69,5% estudios observacionales, 17,4% ensayos clínicos y 8,7% revisiones sistemáticas. Conclusiones: poca producción en Colombia. La mayoría en revistas indexadas, tuvieron diseño observacional y encontraron asociación entre poca actividad física con sobrepeso/obesidad. Alta prevalencia de sobrepeso/obesidad. Pocos autores fueron profesionales en el área del deporte y el entrenamiento. Introduction: Obesity is a global public health problem. Physical activity and exercise are important tools for promoting and preventing. The research carried out in Colombia in this regard is unknown, which is necessary to implement efficient public policies. Objective: to analyze Colombian research found in scientific databases on physical activity or exercise in overweight and obesity. Methodology: literary review of research articles carried out in Colombia from 2010 to 2020, in the PubMed and SciELO databases. Results: Of 87 articles found, 23 met the inclusion criteria. 91.3% published in internationally indexed journals. 69.5% observational studies, 17.4% clinical trials and 8.7% systematic reviews. Conclusions: little production in Colombia. Most of the indexed journals had an observational design and found an association between little physical activity and overweight/obesity. High prevalence of overweight/obesity. Few authors were professionals in the area of training.