Relationship between condition and level of physical activity in Galician schoolchildren

Abstract

The objective of this research was to evaluate the level of physical condition of schoolchildren in relation to the level of physical activity and determine the possible differences in terms of gender and population. 169 primary school students were selected from a city in northern Spain (Pontevedra, Galicia) with a mean age of 8.5±1.7 years, a mass of 34.7±9.9kg, a height of 137.4±11.6cm and a body mass index of 18.0±2.9kg/m². They were divided into four groups in relation to their level of physical activity and in turn, gender and population were considered. An anthropometric assessment (mass, height, body mass index and waist circumference) and physical condition assessment (aerobic capacity, strength and flexibility) were carried out. The results show an elevated body mass index and waist circumference for the group to which the rural population belongs, the same as that which does not engage in physical activity outside school hours, both for men and for women. The students who do not perform physical activity show lower values of lower body strength. The differences between gender show significant differences in the throwing of the medicine ball, greater in boys and flexibility, greater in girls. The results obtained show the relationship between level of physical activity, physical condition and body composition, highlighting the need to implement programs to encourage practice beyond the mandatory hours of physical education and thereby contribute to reducing risk factors.