TITLE:
Biopsychosocial Factors Associated with Active or Sedentary Lifestyles of Children and Adolescents in Costa Rica
AUTHORS:
Hilda Núñez-Rivas, Ileana Holst-Schumacher, Sonia Guzmán-Padilla, Marlen Rosello-Araya, Natalia Campos-Saborío
KEYWORDS:
Physical Activity, Sedentary Lifestyle, Psychosocial Factors, Children and Adolescents, Costa Rica
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Physical Education,
Vol.10 No.4,
November
26,
2020
ABSTRACT: Background: Sedentary lifestyle
in children and adolescents has been associated in multiple investigations with
lack of healthy recreation, low academic performance and socialization, drug
use and a higher rate of violence. On the other hand, physical activity has
been considered a protective factor for the prevention of non-communicable
diseases and health promotion. Objective: To determine the association
between sedentary or active behaviors and biopsychosocial factors of children
and adolescents of Costa Rica. Materials and Methods: Descriptive cross-sectional study in a population of 2284 students from 64
educational centers (40 elementary schools and 24 high schools) in Costa Rica
in 2016. A total of 1063 elementary students were interviewed and 1221 middle
and high school students completed a validated and self-administered
questionnaire under the supervision of the researchers. Information was
collected on sociodemographic, anthropometric data, dietary, psychosocial
factors and on sedentary behavior. Logistic regression models were performed to
examine the association between biopsychosocial factors and sedentary or active
lifestyles in children. Results: The study points out that more than
half of the children and adolescents (52.0%) are sedentary and 64.0% do not
follow the recommendations for the use of screen time. Only 44.0% are active
and follow the screen time recommended. The characteristics of the children and
adolescents who are sedentary and spend too much screen time are related to
younger age, male sex, high socioeconomic status, and belong to an extended
family structure (p Conclusions: According to the multivariate models tested, the biopsychosocial variables
statistically associated with sedentary lifestyles were age, being female,
school violence, not having parental support, living in unsafe spaces and
without recreational areas, belonging to the “Emo” subculture, not having a
healthy diet, belonging to an extended family and quantity of relatives who are
not used to do physical activity. This evidence should be considered for the
design of comprehensive interventions that seek to reverse sedentary
behaviors in children and adolescents.