All Latin-American countries are affected by the lack of physical activity and its consequences on youth. Chile’s population has shown troublingly low levels of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. This is the first study using objectively measured physical activity levels in Chilean adolescents. The objectives were to compare the compliance with daily recommendations of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity between physical education and non-physical education days, and to compare physical activity levels according to gender, age and weight status. A total of 123 Chilean secondary students (52 girls and 71 boys; 13.5 ± 0.7 years old) participated in this study. Physical activity was registered by GT3X accelerometers during an entire week. Results showed that there was a significant increase in the proportion of adolescents achieving the daily recommendation of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity on physical education days (23.6%) than on non-physical education days (14.6%) ( p ≤ 0.05). Boys and older adolescents presented statistically higher levels of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity on physical education days than on non-physical education days. No differences were found in weight status comparison. Physical education has been found to be a crucial element in achieving the daily recommendations of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. Diverse strategies in order to increase the moderate-to-vigorous physical activity in physical education according to the factors analysed are reported and discussed.

Objective: To compare the differences in the modes and distance of the displacements in high school and university stage in the same sample. Methods: A total of 1288 volunteer university students (614 males and 674 females) participated, with an average age of 22.7 ± 5.8 years, belonging to four private and public universities in Chile where a validated self-report questionnaire was applied to the study, which included the modes, travel time, and distance at school and university. Results: The active commuting decreases from school to university when leaving home (males: 39.6% to 34.0%; p = 0.033 and females: 32.9% to 18.5%, p < 0.001), as well as when returning (males: 44.1% to 33.7%; p < 0.001 and females: 38.6% to 17.6%, p < 0.001). Conversely, non-active modes of transport increase, especially in females (go: 67.1% to 81.4%, return: 61.5% to 82.6%), affected by the increase in the use of public transportation in university. It was also defined that at both school and at university, the active commuting decreases the greater the distance travelled. Conclusion: The active modes of commuting decreased between high school and university and the non-active mode of commuting was the most frequent form of mobility to high school and university, observing that the active trips decreased when the distance from the home to high school or university increased. Public and private intervention policies and strategies are required to maintain or increase the modes of active commuting in the university stage for an active life in adulthood.

Biking and walking are active commuting, which is considered an opportunity to create healthy habits. Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the main environmental and psychosocial barriers perceived by students, leading to less Active Commuting (AC) to university and to not reaching the Physical Activity (PA) recommendations. Material and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 1349 university students (637 men and 712 women) were selected. A self-reported questionnaire was applied to assess the mode of commuting, PA level and barriers to the use of the AC. Results: Women presented higher barriers associated with passive commuting than men. The main barriers for women were “involves too much planning” (OR: 5.25; 95% CI: 3.14–8.78), “It takes too much time” (OR: 4.62; 95% CI: 3.05–6.99) and “It takes too much physical effort “ (OR: 3.18; 95% CI: 2.05–4.94). In men, the main barriers were “It takes too much time” (OR: 4.22; 95% CI: 2.97–5.99), “involves too much planning” (OR: 2.49; 95% CI: 1.67–3.70) and “too much traffic along the route” (OR: 2.07; 95% CI: 1.47–2.93). Psychosocial barriers were found in both sexes. Conclusion: Psychosocial and personal barriers were more positively associated with passive commuting than environmental barriers. Interventions at the university are necessary to improve the perception of AC and encourage personal organization to travel more actively.

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to compare academic achievement, cognitive performance, playtime, bullying, and discrimination in adolescents according to traditional uniforms (TUs) and sports uniforms (SUs) worn at school, while simultaneously exploring the influence of the school vulnerability index.MethodsA total of 988 Chilean adolescents (52.6% boys) aged 10–14 years participated in this cross-sectional study. Academic achievement was evaluated by the average grade in maths, language, and science grades, while cognitive performance was assessed through eight cognitive tasks. TUs affecting physical activity, playtime, bullying, and discrimination were queried. Mixed model analyses were performed.ResultsNo differences were observed in academic achievement (TU: 5.4 ± 0.1 vs. SU: 5.5 ± 0.2, p = 0.785) or in cognitive performance (TU: 99.6 ± 0.8 vs. SU: 98.9 ± 1.8, p= 0.754) according to the school uniformtype. Moreover, 64.1 % of participants declared that wearing TU affects their physical activity (traditional uniforms: + 8 min and sports uniforms: + 20 min), and those who believed so spent more time playing than those who answered negatively (14.5 min, p = 0.012). Finally, adolescents wearing SU displayed a lower feeling of bullying and discrimination; this finding depended mainly on the school's vulnerability.ConclusionIt is concluded that wearing TU does not show an educational advantage at an academic and cognitive level that justifies its obligation. In addition, it could be suggested that schools consider adolescents' opinions in adopting a more comfortable uniform, such as the SU. This feasible and low-cost measure would help to increase adolescents' physical activity during the school day, and, contrary to belief, it would not be related to increased feelings of bullying and discrimination.

A decline in adolescents’ moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and the increase in their sedentary behavior (SB) have been registered all over the world. In order to increase the MVPA and reduce the SB of adolescents, their day has been analyzed by segments of time, verifying the contribution of each to the daily recommendation of 60 minutes/day. Previous studies have been centered only in physical activity markers, but the SB variables were not compared nor the segments of the school-recess with the out-of-school period or with the weekend. This study aimed to examine the intra- and inter-days differences in the objectively measured levels of PA and SB in adolescents. A sample of 156 Chilean school students (87 boys and 69 girls; M age=13.41; SD=.67 years) participated in the present study. Participants’ PA and SB were objectively measured by a GT3X accelerometer. Overall results showed that only 14% and 9% of Chilean adolescents achieved the daily recommendation of 60 minutes of MVPA on weekdays and the weekend, respectively. School recess was found the best moment for developing MVPA, followed by out-of-school time, and ending with weekend days presenting the worst scenario. Regarding the SB, Chilean adolescents were involved in SB 69.39% of the time on weekdays, and over 70% during the weekend. Different strategies are discussed in order to increase the MVPA and to decrease SB in each segment of a day.

El deporte puede ser un medio eficaz para la transmisión de valores y favorecer la convivencia en entornos habitados por diferentes identidades culturales. No obstante, también puede tener un efecto adverso cuando se emplean enfoques que exacerban las rivalidades. Por ello, es relevante estudiar los valores vinculados al deporte en contextos que son culturalmente diversos. La presente investigación desarrollada en Chile, tuvo por objetivo: caracterizar los valores que vinculan a la práctica de actividades físico-deportivas los estudiantes chilenos e inmigrantes latinoamericanos que pertenecen a centros educativos vulnerables. Para ello, bajo un enfoque cuantitativo, se desarrolló un estudio colectivo de casos de tipo descriptivo y corte transversal. Para la recolección de datos se aplicó un cuestionario ad-hoc diseñado para la investigación. La muestra estuvo conformada por 412 estudiantes con edades de 12 a 18 años (15.87±2.03 años; 23.8% son extranjeros y un 76.2% chilenos) de diferentes macrozonas del país que pertenecen a tres centros educativos catalogados como vulnerables. Los resultados señalan que los estudiantes chilenos e inmigrantes presentan resultados similares en las cuatro dimensiones analizadas (estatus, moral, competencia y disfrute de la práctica). Sin embargo, los extranjeros poseen medias superiores en la mayoría de ellas, salvo en “estatus” donde los chilenos exhiben una media más elevada. Al separar los estudiantes inmigrantes entre los que provienen de países “colindantes” y “no colindantes”, se observa que estos últimos poseen mayores diferencias (de medias) con los chilenos en todas las dimensiones, hecho que puede estar relacionado con motivos culturales.  Abstract. Sport can be an effective means of transmitting values and fostering coexistence in environments inhabited by different cultural identities. However, it can also have an adverse effect when approaches that exacerbate rivalries are employed. Therefore, it is relevant to study the values linked to sport in contexts that are culturally diverse. The aim of this research carried out in Chile was to characterise the values linked to the practice of physical and sporting activities among Chilean students and Latin American immigrants who belong to vulnerable educational centres. For this, under a quantitative approach, a descriptive, cross-sectional, collective case study was carried out. For data collection, an ad-hoc questionnaire designed for the research was applied. The sample consisted of 412 students aged 12 to 18 years (15.87±2.03 years; 23.8% are foreigners and 76.2% are Chilean) from different macro-zones of the country belonging to three vulnerable educational centres. The results show that Chilean and immigrant students present similar results in the four dimensions analysed (status, morale, competence and enjoyment of practice). However, foreigners have higher averages in most of them, except for "status" where Chileans have a higher average. When separating immigrant students into those from "neighbouring" and "non-neighbouring" countries, it is observed that the latter have greater differences (in means) with Chileans in all dimensions, a fact that may be related to cultural reasons.

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Background: Fitness is a powerful marker of health associated with physical activity (PA) in university students. However, insufficient PA is a serious health concern among university students. Active commuting provides an opportunity for increased PA levels. Therefore, the aims of this study were (a) to describe the mode of commuting, PA and fitness in university students; (b) to analyze the associations of mode of commuting with PA and fitness; and c) to analyze the relationship between mode of commuting, PA recommendations and fitness. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. A total of 1257 university students (52.4% women) participated (22.4 ± 5.6 years old). Results: Public commuting was the main mode to and from university. Active and public commuters were more likely to meet the PA recommendations and reported higher muscular strength than those using private commuting. Active and public commuters who met PA recommendations present the highest fitness in most of its components. Conclusions: Achieving the PA recommendations was more relevant than adopting an active mode of commuting in order to have better fitness. Further research targeting a broader understanding of the mode of commuting, PA levels and fitness in university students is needed.