Evaluation of the effect of physical activity on the prevalence of overweight and obesity in school-aged children

Abstract

Introduction: Physical activity is one of the essential factors in maintaining health and healthy body weight. As the pandemic of overweight and obesity continues to grow, it is crucial that children follow the recommended standards for physical activity from an early age. Both overweight and obesity are associated with an increased risk of diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and cancer. Excess body weight in childhood favors the maintenance of this problem in adulthood. Purpose of the study: The aim of the study was to evaluate the level of physical activity among school-aged children, to analyze individual components of body composition and to determine the influence of physical activity on maintaining normal body weight. Material and methods: We undertook to assess the physical activity levels of 245 school-aged children (7-15 years). was examined and analyzed the body composition of the study participants, and then the correlation of the level of physical activity with the maintenance of normal individual components of body composition was calculated. Results: Only 61% of childrens were characterized by normal body weight appropriate for their age. In the group of children declaring participation in extracurricular sport activities, the number of subjects with normal body weight was 65%, while in the group of subjects who declared no extracurricular activity of any kind, the percentage was 58%. Conclusions: It turned out that the number of children engaged in physical activity outside of school is alarmingly low. The study showed that children who participated in any extracurricular sport activity were more likely to maintain normal body weight and less likely to be overweight or obese.

Keywords

• overweight
• obesity
• physical activity
• children