Mental health and physical activity levels of school children
Introduction: The regular practice of physical activity is fundamental to the health of children, it has been cited as factor of protection for mental disorders in school age. Objective: To verify the relation between mental health and physical activity levels in schoolchildren of the city Jacobin...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Universidade Federal de São Carlos
2017-03-01
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| Series: | Cadernos de Terapia Ocupacional |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.cadernosdeterapiaocupacional.ufscar.br/index.php/cadernos/article/view/1497/822 |
| Summary: | Introduction: The regular practice of physical activity is fundamental to the health of children, it has
been cited as factor of protection for mental disorders in school age. Objective: To verify the relation between
mental health and physical activity levels in schoolchildren of the city Jacobina, Bahia. Method: Sample composed
of 55 students between the ages 08 to 10 and their parents, who participated as secondary informants in this study.
The Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) was used for evaluation of mental health problems of the schoolchildren,
Physical Activity Questionnaire for Older Children (PAQ-C), for evaluation of the physical activity levels of the
subject, and a social-demographic questionnaire. Results: Most children were classified as sedentary (80%) and
only 7.3% of the sample showed positive for trace of mental disorder. No significant association was found between
mental disorders and physical activity levels among the group, or between these variables and socio-demographic
characteristics of children. It was observed that the girls were more sedentary than boys, with significant difference
(p < 0.01). Conclusion: Despite the low prevalence of mental health problems among schoolchildren and the
non-association with physical activity levels, special attention is necessary with this audience, aiming to strengthen
physical activity as a protective factor for children’s mental health, with investments in actions aimed at the
encouragement of regular practice of physical activity, combining family and school. Studies with a larger number
of samples need to be conducted and its findings must be thoroughly analyzed. |
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| ISSN: | 0104-4931 2238-2860 |