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Physical Activity Patterns in Mexican School-Aged Children
| Frania Pfeffer1, Marcela Perez-Rodriguez1, Guillermo Meléndez1, Elí Gámez1, Alvar Loria2, Claudia I Hernández1, Norma A Vega1, Daniela J Barrera1, Gerardo García3, M. Elizabeth Tejero4, and Jeanette Pardío1* | |
| 1 Fundación Mexicana para la Salud, Mexico | |
| 2 Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán, Mexico | |
| 3 Universidad Iberoamericana, Mexico | |
| 4 Instituto Nacional de Medicina Genómica, Mexico | |
| Corresponding Author : | Jeanette Pardío Programa de Obesidad Infantil de la Fundación Mexicana para la Salud A.C. (Childhood Obesity Program) Periférico Sur 4809, Col. El Arenal Tepepan C.P. 14610, D.F, México Tel: 52(55)56559011 Fax: 52(55)56558211 E-mail: jeanettepardio@gmail.com |
| Received May 13, 2014; Accepted Jun 06, 2014; Published Jun 11, 2014 | |
| Citation: Pfeffer F, Perez-Rodriguez M, Meléndez G, Gámez E, Loria A, et al. (2014) Physical Activity Patterns in Mexican School-Aged Children. J Obes Weight Loss Ther 4:219. doi:10.4172/2165-7904.1000219 | |
| Copyright: © 2014 Pfeffer F, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. | |
Abstract
Aims: To describe physical activity patterns, and explore the associations of physical activity with demographic and anthropometric characteristics in Mexican children. Relevance: Knowledge of physical activity patterns in school-age children may offer ways in ameliorating early childhood obesity in Mexico. Methods: Physical activity by accelerometry was measured in 358 children aged 7 to 11 years attending 24 Mexico City schools. Anthropometric measurements (height, weight, hip and waist circumferences, and triceps skinfold) were also done. Results: Only 31% of the girls and 51% of the boys achieved the minimum of one hour per day recommended by WHO of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA). This deficit was less critical for Friday and Weekends, a finding that we believe obeyed to the lack of school homework that leaves them with more playtime. We also observed that activity decreased with age and school grade, starting in the third grade, and that physical activity was higher in girls with a high hip-waist ratio. Limitations: We were able to recruit a very low proportion of schools (24 of more than 400 invited). Conclusions: The deficit of MVPA in our children, especially girls, may be larger in the schools that refused to participate.
