Gender Influences on Physical Activity Awareness of Adolescents and Their Parents

Global Physical Activity, Active Commuting to School, and Sedentary Behavior Among Latin American Adolescents: Global School-Based Student Health Survey and the National School Health Survey

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to compare the overall prevalence, stratified by sex and age group of global physical activity (GPA), active commuting to school (ACS), and sedentary behavior (SB) among adolescents from ten Latin American countries, and to assess the correlation of Development Index with the indicators.

METHODS

This research is grounded on data from the Global School-Based Student Health Survey (2009-2015) and the 2015 Brazilian National School Health Survey. The prevalence and 95% confidence intervals for GPA (≥5 d/wk), ACS (≥1 d/wk), and SB (>2 h/d) were calculated using the chi-square test to compare the sexes (male; female) and age group (≤13 y; 14 y; 15 y; ≥16 y). We also performed Pearson correlation analysis with the Human Development Index.

RESULTS

The prevalence of indicators ranged from 16.1% to 28.2% for GPA, from 56.7% to 71.2% for ACS, and from 20.7% to 62.6% for SB. Boys generally had a higher prevalence of GPA and ACS, and girls had a higher prevalence of SB. The prevalence of the indicators by age group varied between countries, with significant differences observed in some, depending on each indicator. A positive correlation was observed between Human Development Index, GPA, and SB.

CONCLUSION

Health promotion policies must include guidelines that encourage and promote a more active and less sedentary lifestyle among young people in Latin America, considering specific groups, the local socioeconomic context, and differences between countries.

Patterns of Physical Activity of Adolescents With ADHD in the School Context: A Cross-Sectional Study for Clinical Practice

OBJECTIVES

To describe the daily Physical Activity (PA) patterns of adolescents with Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), to analyze the differences in terms of PA patterns between adolescents with ADHD and those without ADHD, and to study the factors associated with achieving the daily PA recommendations.

METHODS

The sample was composed of 778 adolescents who provided complete information on their PA patterns through the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Adolescents (PAQ-A). Of these, 97 had ADHD according to DSM-5 criteria.

RESULTS

The results show that being a girl or being of foreign origin and having ADHD have an impact on the achievement of the recommended amount of daily PA.

CONCLUSIONS

When promoting PA in adolescents with ADHD within the school environment, it is necessary to consider different domains and specific contexts of a school day, paying special attention to girls and adolescents with ADHD of immigrant origin.

Physical activity trajectories of different grade levels of male adolescents in association of academic performance and mental health

Regularly performed daily moderate to vigorous physical activity (PA) is recommended to promote physical and mental health in adolescents. However, sedentary behavior has been reported with ever-increasing demand for competition without clear understanding of the relationship between PA and mental health and academic performance. Therefore, this study observed the changes in the amount PA in 6 grade levels in relation to mental health and academic performance. This study analyzed the amount of moderate and vigorous PA, sedentary time, mental health, and academic performance in male adolescents of 6 middle to high school grade levels by sedentary group (SG: 2 or less min/wk) and physical activity group (PG: 3 or more min/wk) groups depending on the days of weekly PA. The most weekly moderate and vigorous PA duration significant reduced by 29.4% (*P<0.01) and -43.8% (*P<0.01) for H2 in comparison to M1 in SG. The greatest increase in sitting duration 744.95±470.27 min/wk (*P<0.01) was shown by SG. Significant increase in loneliness degree was shown throughout the grade levels of M3 to H3 (2.41±1.08 to 2.50±1.06, *P<0.01) in SG. Degree of stress also significantly increased from M3 to H3 (2.69±0.98, *P<0.01 to 2.90±0.96, *P<0.01) in SG. Finally, perceived academic performance by the days of PA did not show clear difference between SG and PG. In conclusion, regularly performed PA male adolescents showed greater duration of moderate and vigorous PA without negatively influencing mental health and academic performance. Moreover, well controlled academic performance and sitting duration were shown.

Analysis of Association between Adolescents' Food Habits and Body Mass Change in a Population-Based Sample: Diet and Activity of Youth during COVID-19 (DAY-19) Study

The COVID-19 pandemic may have contributed to food habit changes, including some negative ones that may increase the risk of overweight and obesity. The aim of the study was to analyze the association between adolescents' food habits, body mass change, as well as physical activity level in a population-based sample within the Diet and Activity of Youth during COVID-19 (DAY-19) Study. The DAY-19 Study was conducted in a cohort of 1333 students (aged 10-16 years) recruited in schools after stratified random quota sampling of primary schools (sampling counties within voivodeships and schools within counties) in June 2020. The food habits were assessed for the period of the COVID-19 pandemic and the period before the COVID-19 pandemic while using Adolescent Food Habits Checklist (AFHC). The body mass changes were assessed based on body weight and height for the period of the COVID-19 pandemic and the period before the COVID-19 pandemic while using Polish growth reference values. The physical activity changes were assessed based on the subjective assessment of adolescents. It was stated that for female adolescents declaring body mass gain during the COVID-19 pandemic the highest AFHC purchase scores (healthy purchase habits) (p < 0.0001) were accompanied by the lowest AFHC consumption score (unhealthy consumption habits) (p < 0.0001), as well as for female adolescents declaring physical activity decrease during the COVID-19 pandemic the highest AFHC purchase scores (healthy purchase habits) were observed (p = 0.0333). It was stated that for male adolescents declaring physical activity increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, the highest AFHC consumption scores (healthy consumption habits) were observed (p = 0.0003). In the case of a majority of participants, the general food habits were unchanged, which was observed mainly for food habits associated with food preparation. More food habits changes associated with the COVID-19 pandemic resulting in body mass changes were observed in females than in male adolescents. Body mass gain during the COVID-19 pandemic in adolescents may have resulted from unhealthy consumption habits, accompanied by decreased physical activity, in spite of the fact that this sub-group presented healthy purchase habits, which was observed especially for female adolescents.