Prevalencia de inactividad física y sobrepeso u obesidad en niños y adolescentes escolarizados de Latinoamérica: una revisión sistemática

Abstract

Bad eating habits based on high consumption of carbohydrates or processed fats together with physical inactivity have generated in humans a high probability of developing Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs), a set of conditions that alter the vital functions of both children, adolescents, and adults, these being slow and long-lasting. In addition, behaviors such as alcohol consumption and smoking exacerbate silent NCDs such as cancer, diabetes, respiratory and cardiovascular conditions, being the leading causes of death worldwide; According to the World Health Organization (WHO), they kill around 41 million people annually, corresponding to 71% of the world's deaths. In the Americas, TSDs account for 5.5 million deaths each year. Physical inactivity is considered a behavioral risk factor associated with NCDs, responsible for 6% and 10% of deaths worldwide, these low levels of activity have led to 39% of adults 18 years of age or older being overweight, and 13% obese. Studies in population of children (under 5 years) have indicated that in Latin America and the Caribbean 7.3% are overweight, with a total of 3.9 million children, 2.5 million of whom live in South America, 1.1 million in Central America, and 200,000 in the Caribbean, increasing the likelihood of morbidity and disability in adulthood. Given the concern of NCDs in the world and their relationship to physical activity, it is aimed at establishing the prevalence of physical inactivity and overweightness or obesity in children and adolescents in Latin America from the scientific literature consulted. In the methodology, a systematic review was carried out in which 515 articles were analyzed by electronic search in scientific databases Google Academic, PubMed, and Scielo. In the process of extracting the articles, the title, abstract, and the complete reading of the text were analyzed. After analysis, 114 studies were selected that met the review's inclusion criteria. The results show that on average half of Latin American children and adolescents are physically inactive. On the other hand, a little more than a third of the study population is overweight/obese. The implementation of strategies that promote the acquisition of healthy lifestyle habits is recommended.