Sedentary Behavior and Physical Activity of Schoolchildren from a Low-income Region in Brazil: Associations with Maternal Variables

Abstract

Introduction: In the last decade, an increasing number of studies investigated markers of Sedentary Behavior (SB) and Physical Activity (PA) in school-age children since they lead to nutritional status changes in this group. Objective: To analyze associations between maternal factors and SB and PA of schoolchildren. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study involving 410 mothers of children enrolled between the first and the fifth year in municipal schools of Santa Cruz, RN, Brazil. By applying questionnaires, socioeconomic variables of the family, maternal data, and habits related to SB and PA on weekdays and weekends were investigated. Pearson’s chi-square test and Fisher’s exact test were used to test associations. Results: It was observed that income below one minimum wage and less maternal education were associated with greater active transportation among children (69.3%, p = 0.012 and 68.4%, p = 0.022, respectively). Children from low-income families (65.4%, p = 0.016) and who had six and seven siblings (8.2%, p = 0.023 and 7.6%, p = 0.037, respectively) presented lower SB at the weekend. Low level of maternal education was associated with reduced PA during the week (70.8%, p = 0.024). Conclusion: Socioeconomic (i.e., family income and number of siblings) and maternal factors (i.e., level of education) are important indicators for time spent on sedentary behavior and physical activity of schoolchildren.

The effect of negationism on public health

“…In this line, Journal of Human Growth and Development brings articles [12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28] that contribute to the development of science, full knowledge of public health and evidence in the scientific field to corroborate scientific practice and its full application in modern society.…”

Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior in High School Students: A Quasi Experimental Study via Smartphone during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…The barriers can be categorized into four dimensions: environmental; psychological, cognitive, and emotional; sociodemographic; and sociocultural [ 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 ]. In this sense, the coronavirus disease 2019, a disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus that spread into a worldwide pandemic [ 29 ], can be considered a barrier to the practice of physical activity, as it directly affected two important public health concerns: physical inactivity and sedentary behavior [ 30 ].…”