Gender differences in physical activity and sedentary behavior: Results from over 200,000 Latin-American children and adolescents

Abstract

More physical activity and less sedentary behavior is beneficial for children and adolescents. Worldwide, gender differences are >8% favorable for men and the Latin-American region presents an even higher level of insufficient physical activity among women, with a lack of information in young population. Thus, the aim of the current study was to describe the gender differences in physical activity and recreational sedentary behavior in children and adolescents from Latin-American countries. The targeted age range was 5 to 17 years and included 219,803 participants (106,698 boys and 113,105 girls) from 33 out of 47 Latin-American countries identified. Physical activity guidelines from the World Health Organization (≥60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity seven days of the week) and <3 hours recreational sedentary behavior daily were the references. In general, boys showed a higher prevalence of meeting physical activity guidelines in comparison with girls. A higher proportion of girls met the <3 hours recreational sedentary behavior cut-point in only ten countries. Thirty percent of the identified countries had no available data. The majority had data from the Global School-based Student Health Survey with data principally on adolescents and only 11/33 countries reported data in the last 5-year period. In conclusion, gender differences in the compliance with physical activity guidelines and the <3 hours recreational sedentary behavior cut-point are evident among children and adolescents from Latin-American countries, with boys being more active than girls.

Anthropometric Measurements, Sociodemographics, and Lifestyle Behaviors among Saudi Adolescents Living in Riyadh Relative to Sex and Activity Energy Expenditure: Findings from the Arab Teens Lifestyle Study 2 (ATLS-2)

“…Additionally, numerous studies around the world have shown that adolescent females were less active than males. In a large study conducted on children and adolescents aged 5–17 years in Latin America, sex differences in PA (≥60 min/day) and sedentary behaviors (≥3 h/day) were evident [ 15 ]. The largest sex difference in PA between boys and girls was reported in Uruguay (13.5%) and the lowest in Jamaica with 1.8% [ 15 ].…”

“…In addition, according to the WHO, more than three-quarters of the world’s population is not meeting the global recommendations for health-enhancing PA [ 11 ], with a sex difference above 8% in favor of men [ 14 ]. Additionally, findings from recent studies conducted in different countries, including those from the Global School-based Health Survey (GSHS), showed that sex difference in PA levels also exists among adolescents [ 13 , 15 , 16 , 17 ].…”

“…An interest has recently emerged in investigating sex differences in activity behaviors at younger ages, with the intent of striving for a sex-equitable society [ 15 ]. In Saudi Arabia, there has been a recent positive sociopolitical transformation.…”

Too masculine for healthcare, too feminine for intense sports: correlation between gender conformity and pro-health behaviours

“…Despite the fact that physical activity is beneficial for everyone, it is dominated by men [67,68]. This is partially because the feminine gender role is linked with the caregiver role, and eventually, due to the lack of time, women withdraw from additional activities, making their physical activity irregular at best [69].…”

Gender Difference and Correlates of Physical Activity Among Urban Children and Adolescents in Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…Different literature found out that girls were lower perceived competence in physical education ( 6 ) and were less active than boys and less physically fit compared to boys ( 1 , 6 – 9 ). In a large scale, about 219,803 participants from 33 out of 47 Latin-American countries from 5 to 17 years study, in general, boys showed a higher prevalence of meeting PA guidelines in comparison with girls ( 10 ) and from 2009 to 2010 Health Behavior in School-Aged Children study included 36 countries indicate that boys reported more PA than girls, but the magnitude of these sex differences varied greatly between countries ( 11 ).…”