How Can Physical Inactivity in Girls Be Explained? A Socioecological Study in Public, Subsidized, and Private Schools

Abstract

In the last few years, the World Health Organization has highlighted that physical inactivity is a global issue affecting women to a greater extent than men. Faced with this, different nation states have developed public policies to reduce physical inactivity at school; however, the biomedical and individualistic models used have generated widespread criticism, as figures remain the same. In the context of failed interventions on increasing levels of physical activity, this study utilizes a socioecological model to analyze and understand how physical inactivity is reproduced in girls in the Chilean education system. A qualitative study was implemented, as it allows a focus on the entailed meanings, context, and processes. Active semi-structured interviews were conducted with 40 groups comprising headmasters, teachers, non-teachers, students, and families. The results show that physical inactivity is linked to factors that go beyond the individualistic model; that is, consideration must include intrapersonal, interpersonal, organizational, community, and public policy dimensions. Furthermore, gender stereotypes gain relevance in physical education classes, in addition to friendships and family, teaching, and administrative work, access to safe play areas, use of spaces, and widespread cultural factors associated with men and women. This study concludes that the assessed gender differences should be approached from a pedagogical perspective beyond common sense, further reporting that the individualized explanation for physical inactivity is irrelevant to answer why women are more inactive than men.

The Association between Sedentary Behavior, Physical Activity, and Physical Fitness with Body Mass Index and Sleep Time in Chilean Girls and Boys: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…The results also present statistically significant differences between boys and girls in sedentary behavior and light and moderate–vigorous physical activity, with girls having lower levels compared to boys. This is consistent with a recent study conducted in public schools in the country [ 58 ] and with international studies [ 59 , 60 ], where the negative influence of gender stereotypes on the participation and practice of physical activity is noted.…”

The Impact of Physical Activity and Inactivity on Cardiovascular Risk across Women’s Lifespan: An Updated Review

“…Furthermore, in most countries, girls are less physically active than boys, with a prevalence of recommended levels of PA less than 20% in female adolescents and a subsequent further increase in PI into adulthood [ 58 , 59 , 60 , 61 ]. The causes for this gender disparity in PA involvement are still poorly understood [ 5 ]. Family support appears to be a consistent factor associated with the PA of both male and female adolescents; in contrast, low self-esteem, lack of interest and awareness about the role of PA, time limitations, scarcity of economic resources, and parental authority seem to influence girls’ participation in PA, especially in low-income countries [ 62 , 63 ].…”

“…Physical inactivity (PI) is defined as an insufficient physical activity (PA) level to meet present PA recommendations for age and represents a significant modifiable traditional CV risk factor still hard to counteract. This occurs regardless of the abundance of scientific evidence supporting PA as one of the most effective non-pharmacological therapies in primary and secondary CV prevention, with an outstanding effect on vascular homeostasis [ 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 ]. Furthermore, the role of regular PA in preventing and treating non-communicable diseases (NCDs) has been widely demonstrated.…”

Desarrollo de estilo de vida activo: una brief review sobre las barreras socioculturales y de género en la infancia y adolescencia (Development of active lifestyle: a brief review on sociocultural and gender barriers in childhood and adolescence)

“…En esta misma línea, resalta las barreras presentes dentro y fuera de los entornos escolares, como la influencia de los currículos escolares de educación física y la accesibilidad a espacios para la práctica de actividades físicas. Además, se deben tener en cuenta los cambios debidos a la pubertad señalados en Soto-Lagos, Cortes-Varas, Freire-Arancibia, Energici, & McDonald (2022), donde se consideró como una razón por la cual las niñas se desconectaban de las clases de educación física, los deportes y las actividades físicas en la escuela, fundamentado en los cambios emocionales generados por estos cambios físicos y sociales.…”