Nutritional status, eating habits, physical activity and sleeping hours in chilean patagonia students according to the seasons of the year: Observational Study

Abstract

Introduction: A comparison was made of the nutritional status, eating habits, physical activity and hours of sleep in students from 5th to 8th grade of primary education in a public school in the city of Punta Arenas, Chile, according to the winter and summer seasons, considering the variability weather and sunlight from extreme weather. Material and Methods: Analytical observational study with a quantitative, longitudinal cohort approach. 105 students of both sexes, whose average age was 11.5 years, were followed over a 7-month period. Two measurements of the four variables under study were made (nutritional status, eating habits, physical activity and hours of sleep). Weight and height measurements were made to obtain the body mass index (BMI) to classify the nutritional status according to BMI/age with the growth patterns recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). Eating and sleeping habits were evaluated with a self-administered questionnaire and sleeping hours were categorized for age according to the National Sleep Foundation. For the evaluation of physical activity in the students, the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Children PAQ-C was used. Data analysis was performed with the SPSS® Version 22 statistical software and the T-student statistical test for related samples. Results: There was no significant difference in the nutritional status by season (p=0.57). Healthy eating habits and physical activity diminished during summer (p>0,05). The hours of sleep did not have significant differences in both seasons with an average of 8.3 hours. Conclusions: Healthy dietary habits and physical activity are altered during the summer. This is possibly associated to school break and there's no evidence of a direct effect of seasonal nature.