Post-confinement physical activity level in adolescents in secondary schools

Abstract

Increasing levels of physical activity (PA) has multiple benefits throughout the entire life cycle. During childhood and adolescence, active lifestyle habits must be strengthened in children and young people to maintain or improve their physical and mental well-being and current and future health status. At the end of April 2020, approximately 1.5 billion children and adolescents began their distance teaching-learning process, due to the closure of schools in most countries. The objective of this study was to analyze the level of PA of adolescents of the commune of Concepción after the confinement period due to COVID-19. 381 students of both sexes (203 men and 178 women) between 14 and 16 years old from secondary educational establishments participated in the study. The results showed that adolescents present a level of PA classified as inactive (PAQ-A = 2.53 points), men present a significant difference (p = .001) compared to the group of women in the level of PA, it is observed a significant difference between the different ages of men (p = .027) and women (p = .001), in addition, a significant difference was observed between educational establishments (p = .012). The return to presence and the strategies implemented for greater development of PA after the confinement period, obtained a low level of PA of secondary education students in subsidized private educational establishments in the commune of Concepción.