Regional Variations in Physical Fitness and Activity in Healthy and Overweight Ecuadorian Adolescents

Abstract

Background: Insufficient physical activity (PA) and excessive sedentary behavior (SB) are the main contributors to adolescent obesity. However, it is uncertain whether recent economic growth and urbanization in Ecuador are contributing to an obesogenic environment. This study assessed the relationships among fitness, PA, SB, and perceived social support for PA in adolescents from urban (Quito) and rural (Loja) Ecuador. Methods: Fitness was estimated using 3-min step test and PA and SB participation and social support for PA were self-reported in 407 adolescents. T-tests and analysis of variance assessed differences by sex, obesity status, and region of Ecuador. Pearson correlations assessed relationships among PA, SB, fitness, and social support. Results: Males and rural adolescents (48.3 ± 9.4 and 47.1 ± 9.6 mL/kg/min) were more fit than females and urban adolescents (41.1 ± 7.5 and 39.7 ± 6.1 mL/kg/min). Fitness was negatively correlated with obesity only in rural Ecuador. Few adolescents reported ≥60 min/day of PA (8.4%) or ≤2 h/day of SB (30.2%), with greater SB participation in rural Ecuador. Weak correlations were observed among fitness, PA, SB, and parental/peer support for PA (r = −0.18 to 0.19; p < 0.05). Conclusion: While fitness varied by sex, weight status, and region, SB participation and parent/peer support for PA, not PA participation itself, predicted fitness in rural Ecuadorean adolescents.

Physical Fitness in Upper Austrian Children Living in Urban and Rural Areas: A Cross-Sectional Analysis with More Than 18,000 Children

“…This study extends previous research on the association between living environment and health by examining urban-rural differences in various components of physical fitness in Upper Austrian elementary school children. As shown in previous studies, living environment appears to influence body composition and physical fitness [28][29][30][31]. The results of this study showed a lower BMIPCT and…”

“…Results, however, have been inconsistent. Some studies have shown higher PA and physical fitness levels in urban youth [27][28][29], while others have shown opposite results [2,30,31]. There is also research indicating limited differences in physical fitness by living environment [6,32,33].…”

The Impact of Obesity on the Fitness Performance of School-Aged Children Living in Rural Areas—The West Attica Project

“…High SES households tend to have children and adolescents with better physical fitness and a lower likelihood of having low or poor fitness [ 63 ]. The West Attica region is an industrial zone with a high unemployment rate, low-income households, and low parental educational status [ 64 ]. The residents in rural and remote areas have limited access to parks, playgrounds, and sports facilities [ 34 ].…”

Comprendiendo la prevención de la obesidad desde un modelo de promoción de la salud, desde el apoyo familiar: Revisión de literatura

“…Los adolescentes con obesidad perciben mayor apoyo de la familia a diferencia de quienes tienen normopeso; caso contrario a lo que sucede con el apoyo de amigos, donde a menor peso, mayor apoyo de amigos. Por otra parte, los adolescentes que realizan actividad física perciben mayor apoyo familiar y de amigos (Gill et al, 2018), especialmente los hombres (Howe et al, 2018). Con base en lo anterior, el apoyo social familiar es un predictor del sobrepeso, es decir, quienes perciben bajo apoyo familiar tienen cuatro veces más la posibilidad de tener sobrepeso y tres veces más la posibilidad de presentar obesidad (Craven et al, 2018).…”