SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL PREDICTORS OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN MEXICAN ADOLESCENTS

As many reports and international statistical updates confirm, public and individual health conditions are worsening throughout time (World Health Organization [WHO], 2014). Obesity and overweight, which are recognized as main indicators of increased risk of non-transmissible diseases, have significantly risen in the last decades. Physical activity (PA) is regarded as an important means for reducing obesity. Therefore, it represents an important tool for reversing the current trend in public health. Despite of the well known role played by PA, research confirms a drop of participation in physical activities worldwide. In response of this situation, professionals and researchers in the field of PA and sports have proposed several programs aiming to analyze and foster active habits in youth and adults. Amongst them, Palacky University of Olomouc has recently started an international project based on an online free platform called Indares, allowing researchers worldwide to collect and compare data on PA in youth from different cultures and environments. The aim of this study is to present the results of the Indares project carried out in a Mexican environment, which assessed PA levels and the prediction power of social and environmental variables in Mexican youth. We selected 240 students (136 boys, 104 girls) from secondary schools in the area of General Escobedo (Mexico), who filled in the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), which collects information on PA levels and intensity; and the International Physical Activity and Environmental Network questionnaire (IPEN - adolescents), which gathers data on social-environmental factors influencing active behaviors. Multiple linear regressions were run in order to assess the predictive weight of social and environmental factors on PA habits. Results showed that overall PA levels in secondary school students from General Escobedo, Monterrey (Mexico) are low, consequently interventions should be planned in order to increase participation in health-related PA amongst youth. PA levels of boys in this study were significantly predicted by the importance they gave to exercising for their life, as well as by the enjoyment of carrying out sedentary activities and by perceived environmental barriers. These should be the main variables to work on when proposing PA programs in or out of school, with the aim of producing significant changes towards more active conducts in boys. On the other hand, if we aim to raise PA levels and participation in physical activities in girls from this population, we should take into account also social factors such as parents' and peers' support, who seem to play an important role in girls' decision to be active or not. More research is required to better understand the interaction and weight of variables such as motivation (both boys and girls) and social support (boys) on overall PA levels. An interesting issue emerging from this work is represented by psychological indicators related to sedentary behaviors, such as enjoyment or confidence in reducing inactive habits.

This research was supported by the project: Support for Creating Excellent Research Teams and Intersectoral Mobility at Palacy University in Olomouc. Reg.no: CZ.1.07/2.3.00/30.0004; and by a grant from the National Council for Science and Technology of Mexico (CONACYT). App.no: 203075.