Physical activity, sedentary lifestyle and preferences in sports practice in children: current panorama in Mexico.

Abstract

The present study sought to know the prevalence of physical activity, sedentary lifestyle and preferences in sports practice in children from Mexico, by sex and age. A non-probabilistic sample of 2,621 children (47.1% boys and 52.5% girls) was selected, with an average age of 9.86 years. Indicators were used to evaluate physical activity and sedentary behaviors, as well as questions to learn about other aspects of physical sports activities. The results showed that the highest percentage of children are classified as physically inactive, finding significant differences by sex in the group aged 11 to 13 years. In addition, it was found that a significant proportion of children spend more than two hours a day in front of a screen. The highest percentage of boys and girls reported that they have practiced: soccer, running and cycling, and the activities they would most like to do are ping pong and climbing.