Physical activity carried out by Spanish schoolchildren according to age and gender

Unhealthy lifestyles, associated with cases of sedentary lifestyle, obesity and overweight, constitute a serious health problem for children in Spain. Despite the efforts of organizations, such as the World Health Organization (WHO), to promote health promotion and education programs in schools, rates of overweight and obesity remain very high in our country. The objective of this study was to determine the level of physical activity in Spanish students of 5th and 6th grade of primary education. A total of 1009 students of 10 and 12 years old (M-age = 10.85, DE = 0.79), responded the Inventory of Habitual Physical Activity for Schoolchildren (IAFHE), used as the instrument for data collection. The results show statistically significant differences by gender and out-of-school sports practice (NPOS) (p <.001), physical activity during recess (PADR) (p < .001) and sedentary activities (PSA) (p < .001); by age and PADR as well (p = .001). Boys practice more physical activity than girls in and out of school, but, in both cases, they are below WHO recommendations, which should arouse a reflection on healthy habits promoted through school physical education.