Physical activity levels according to PAQ-C questionnaire in children from two schools in Lima Cercado

Abstract

Objective: to determine the level of physical activity in children from 9 to 12 years of age in two schools in Lima Downtown, Peru. Material and Methods: observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study. The population was 610 students, between the ages of 9 and 12, from the fourth grade of primary school to the first grade of secondary school, from the private school “Señor de la Misericordia Parish Educational Institution” (264) and the state school “Institución Educativa 0040 Hipólito Unanue” (346), located in the fencing district of Lima. The level of physical activity was evaluated with the PAQ-C questionnaire. Results: both private and state school students presented a level of physical activity between “low” and “very low” (59.7% for both schools) And only 4.5% y 4% are within the level group of intense physical activity in both schools. Being the boys more active than the girls. Likewise, it was found that private school children had a higher prevalence of overweight and obesity and of these the majority had a low level of physical activity. Conclusion: In the population studied, we found that low and very low levels of physical activity had high percentages, as well as overweight and obesity with higher prevalence in the private school. These 2 factors are worrying since they would probably be leading to future associated comorbidities. It is to recommend the monitoring of physical activity levels in this age group and the periodic development of similar studies, especially in these times of pandemic.