The Impact of sedentary behavior on health and the need for physical activity in children and adolescents

Abstract

Children and adolescents do not practice enough physical activity or have too much unbalanced nutrition, and the consequence of these unhealthy and bad habits is overweight that can lead to obesity, impairment of health and, implicitly, the quality of life.The objective of the study is to summarize the evidence of published literature on the impact of sedentary lifestyle on the health of children and adolescents, the benefits of regular physical activity, as well as recommendations for their correct performance.Results: All researched works combines regular physical activity with important health benefits. Children and adolescents aged 5-18 must be physically active for at least 60 minutes a day, with intense physical exercise being associated with the majority of authors with a better physical condition and well-being. The physical activity program should include exercises that address all fitness components: cardiorespiratory capacity, muscle strength / fitness, flexibility and body composition.Conclusions: Some action is needed to promote a healthy lifestyle and increase physical activity to at least 60 minutes a day, in order to reduce the sedentary behavior among children and adolescents due to excessive use of the Internet, social networks or audiovisual media. Implementation and support of programs to promote physical activity among them is necessary, given the increasing number of overweight and obese persons.