Comportamento sedentário e atividade física de escolares de uma região de baixa renda no Brasil: associações com variáveis maternas

Abstract

Introduction: In the last decade, an increasing number of studies investigated markers of Sedentary Behavior (SB) and Physical Activity (PA) in school-age children since they lead to nutritional status changes in this group. Objective: To analyze associations between maternal factors and SB and PA of schoolchildren. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study involving 410 mothers of children enrolled between the first and the fifth year in municipal schools of Santa Cruz, RN, Brazil. By applying questionnaires, socioeconomic variables of the family, maternal data, and habits related to SB and PA on weekdays and weekends were investigated. Pearson’s chi-square test and Fisher’s exact test were used to test associations. Results: It was observed that income below one minimum wage and less maternal education were associated with greater active transportation among children (69.3%, p = 0.012 and 68.4%, p = 0.022, respectively). Children from low-income families (65.4%, p = 0.016) and who had six and seven siblings (8.2%, p = 0.023 and 7.6%, p = 0.037, respectively) presented lower SB at the weekend. Low level of maternal education was associated with reduced PA during the week (70.8%, p = 0.024). Conclusion: Socioeconomic (i.e., family income and number of siblings) and maternal factors (i.e., level of education) are important indicators for time spent on sedentary behavior and physical activity of schoolchildren