Anthropometric, body composition and physical activity of students

Abstract

This study aimed to analyze the anthropometric variables, body composition and physical activity levels of students enrolled in private schools of the Educational System of Porto Velho, Rondônia, Brazil. The sample was composed by 303 students (154 males and 149 females) with ages varying from 11 to 15 years. Measures of body mass, stature, skinfolds (triceps, subscapular and suprailiac), percent of body fat, and adiposity index. Data on physical activity levels were obtained by a questionnaire, which verified TV watching time. Descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) were used for data analyses as well as the Student’s t-test setting the level of significance at 5%. The results showed that boys had higher values for anthropometric variables except for the 11-year-old boys. For skinfolds, the suprailiac presented higher values in both sexes, suggesting more fat accumulation in the central region of the trunk. For body composition, girls showed higher percents of body fat, except for the 13-year-olds. Obesity was detected in 23.76% of the sample. More than half of the students (58.41%) were classified either as sedentary or insufficiently active. With advancing age, a reduction in physical activity levels was noticed in both sexes. The majority of the students watched TV for more than 2 hours per day. The data indicated that strategic interventions are necessary to promote a more active lifestyle among adolescents.