School and individual-level correlates of physical activity in children: a multilevel approach

Abstract

This study aimed to assess the association between individual and school environment variables and physical activity levels in Brazilian schoolchildren with 8-12 years of age. A sample of children from 20 private and public schools (n=1,210) was selected. Total and leisure-time physical activities and active transportation to school (AT) were measured using a self-report instrument. Total and leisure-time physical inactivity (PI) were defined as <300min/week of Physical activity. Physical and social school environment features were assessed through a questionnaire. The prevalence of PI, leisure-time PI, and AT to school were 69.2%, 75.8% and 70.5%, respectively. Multilevel models showed that PI was more frequent among girls, and was negatively associated with older age and higher maternal schooling. Girls were more inactive during leisure-time. For contextual variables, greater Physical Education teacher/student ratio was associated with lower levels of both total and leisure-time PI. AT was negatively associated with higher income and positively associated with older age. Students from public schools use more AT. Based on the prevalence of PI found, strategies focused at increasing physical activity levels should be implemented immediately. Also, our findings suggest that both individual and school contextual variables were associated with levels of PI, varying between domains. KeywordsSocial Environments, Epidemiology, Physical Education, Physical Activity. Resumo Este estudo objetivou avaliar a associação entre variáveis individuais e do contexto escolar com os níveis de atividade física em escolares de 8 a 12 anos de idade. Uma amostra de crianças de 20 escolas públicas e privadas (n=1210) foi selecionada. Os níveis de atividade física total e no lazer e o transporte ativo para a escola foram mensurados por meio de um instrumento validado. Crianças foram con-

Estado nutricional, idade e sexo influenciam os níveis de atividade física de escolares?

“…Filhos de pais obesos apresentam maior propensão a serem obesos do que filhos de pais eutróficos 4 . Com relação ao ambiente, outros fatores que influenciam no aumento do peso são o tempo de sono 4 , a alimentação 7 , os longos períodos assistindo televisão 8 e a inatividade física 4,7 . Autores relatam que com o aumento da idade há diminuição dos níveis de atividade física [9][10][11] . Por exemplo, Nyberg et al 10 verificaram que a partir dos 6 anos de idade já podem ser observadas reduções nos níveis de atividades físicas de crianças.…”