Prevalence of Active Play in Brazilian children and adolescents: an updated systematic review for the Brazil´s Report Card
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1590/1980-0037.2026v28e112168Palabras clave:
Leisure Activities, Brazil, Play, Observational StudyResumen
The objective of the present study was to identify, synthesize, and evaluate Brazilian studies that address active play in children and/or adolescents. Electronic databases PubMed, SciELO, Web of Science, and LILACS were searched for the period from 2020 to 2024. As inclusion criteria, studies were considered if they involved Brazilian children and/or adolescents up to 19 years of age; were observational (cross-sectional or longitudinal); were published between 2020 and 2024 in English, Spanish, or Portuguese; and addressed active play and/or active leisure activities. Studies conducted with athletes and/or involving structured or school-based physical activity were excluded. Initially, 914 studies were identified. Considering the inclusion criteria, 15 studies were analyzed, comprising a total of 552,172 children/adolescents aged 0 to 19 years. The prevalence of leisure-time physical activity/active play among children ranged from 41.3% to 76%, with a mean daily duration of 34 minutes when measured by accelerometry and 188.7 minutes when assessed using questionnaires. Among adolescents, the mean prevalence of leisure-time physical activity/active play was 45.2%. In both children and adolescents, the mean prevalence of active play/leisure-time physical activity was higher in boys compared with girls. Playing outdoors, living in houses with a yard, and attending schools with courtyards and playgrounds were associated with higher levels of movement and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. The prevalence of active play varied across the studies analyzed, was higher among boys, but some methodological gaps indicate caution in the interpretation of the findings.
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Derechos de autor 2026 Edirlane Soares do Nascimento, Dayane Tays da Silva, Laíze Eduarda Soares Farias, Renato Pereira Santos, Daiane Barbosa Oliveira, Ruan Victor Barbosa Oliveira, Francisca Jacielle Ferreira de Oliveira, José Fernando Vila Nova de Moraes, Yara Lucy Fidelix
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