Relationship between the level of physical activity and indicators of cardiovascular risk in schoolchildren and adolescents in district educational institutions in the city of Bogota

Abstract

Currently, scientific evidence reflects that low levels of physical activity in childhood are the triggers of different diseases (overweight, obesity, diabetes, etc.) in adulthood. In the school population, more than 5% of children are overweight and obese. Identifying physical activity levels and establishing whether or not they are related to cardiovascular risk factors will make it possible to create strategies that work for the health of school children and adolescents and reduce the level of mortality from NCDs at later ages. Objective. To identify the relationship between the level of physical activity and indicators of cardiovascular risk in Students of a public school in the city of Bogota. Methodology. Cross-sectional study in 227 school children and adolescents of both sexes, between 10 and 17 years old with an average of 12.84 (±1.58) years, from 3 District Educational Institutions (DEI) of Bogotá, who voluntarily participated in the completion of the Physical Activity (PAQ-C) questionnaire (10 to 12). 9 years, G1) and PAQ-A (13 to 17.9 years, G2), as well as from the anthropometric measurements of height, weight and waist to hip ratio (WHR), the BMI and waist to height ratio (WHtR) were calculated. As an indicator of cardiovascular risk (CVR), blood pressure was also measured. Results. Of the general population, 52.4% were children (12.77±1.56 years); the level of PA evaluated for school children (G1) PAQ-C, had a mean of 2.13 (±0.62) and (G2) of 1.87 (±0.69), finding for both groups a low-moderate level of PA being a little lower in girls (1.91±0.55) and adolescents (1.60±0.65). 13.2% of the general population presented overweight/obesity, with a tendency to be higher after the age of 12.9 years, the WHR for the G1 (62.20±6.17) and G2 (68.00±6.62), the WHtR in G1 (0.42±0.39) and G2 (0.44±0. 04) qualify as low risk; in the relationship (Pearson) of PA levels vs. RCV indicators, no statistical significance was found; however, significance was found in the SBP and DBP vs BMI and WHR. Conclusions. Despite not finding a clear difference between levels of physical activity and indicators of cardiovascular risk in this study, it was possible to determine the relationship between blood pressure values, nutritional status and WHR, which can be used as indicators to create strategies that encourage greater PA performance in schoolchildren and adolescents that reduce the risks of CVD at early ages.