Physical activity patterns in adolescents: A longitudinal study

Abstract

The present study aimed at describing and comparing the physical activity (PA) patterns of adolescents from a middle-income country over a 4-year period. This is a longitudinal observational study (four waves of data collection, 2014–2017) with 668 adolescents aged 10–13 years in 2014 (mean age of 11.8 ± 0.8 years), of both sexes (53.3% girls), from public schools in João Pessoa, Paraíba state, Brazil. PA was measured using a questionnaire and pattern operationally defined based on the following indicators: type, frequency, duration, and PA recommendations. The most practiced physical activities during the study period were active commuting, games, dancing, cycling, soccer, and futsal. There was a linear trend to a decline in the number of adolescents engaging in nearly all the physical activities, in the duration of activities and the proportion that met the PA recommendations (52.8% in 2014 to 32.2% in 2017). The adolescents engaged in different physical activities, but these declined over the years.