Physical activity and use of social media, in high school students. Differences by sex and school grade

Abstract

Social networks have become an irreversible and increasingly popular phenomenon among children and adolescents. This continued use can lead to excessive use, which is conducive to an increase in sedentary lifestyles, a major public health problem.Therefore, the aim of this study is to analyze the differences by sex and school grade regarding physical activity and the use of social networks in high school students. The sample consisted of 342 high school students, 53.5% female and 46.5% male (M= 13.39; SD = 0.84) from Nuevo León. Two instruments, Uses and Gratifications of social networks in Mexican adolescents, and IPAQ-C, were applied. Forty-eight percent of the students have a low level of physical activity; and although the intensity increases in older students, the frequency of physical activity decreases as school progresses. Significant differences were recorded in the connection to social networks, favorite network, device used (p