Estágio de mudança de comportamento e percepção de barreiras à pratica de atividade física em alunos do ensino médio em três escolas estaduais da cidade de Dourados - MS

Abstract

Introduction: The physically active lifestyle can be determined by demographic characteristics, knowledge, attitudes and beliefs about physical exercise, as well as environmental factors. Objective: identify the main barriers to physical activity, stages of behavior change and the frequency of physical activity in secondary school students of three State Schools in Dourados - MS. Methodology: The sample consisted of 317 students, composed of 188 girls and 129 boys, aged between 14 and 26 years old. The instruments used to assess the stage of behavior change, barriers perceived in the practice of physical activity and socioeconomic status were the Questionnaire of barriers perceived and stage of behavior change, the Questionnaire of the Brazilian Association of Research Companies (ABEP) respectively. The students also answered a question about how often do they practice physical activity in a week. During the research, there was data collection based on age, sex, weight and height and calculation of the body mass index (BMI). Results: A large share of the students was classified as B2 and C1 classes (36.12%). The BMI analysis revealed that 88% of the students are in their normal weight, 10% are overweight and 2% are obese. Regarding the stages of behavior change, most students were considered physically active (maintenance and action, 51.10%). However, 48.90% did not have an active lifestyle, being at the stages of preparation, pre-contemplation or contemplation. The main perceived barriers were lack of energy (45.11%) and lack of company (39.12%). Conclusion: Most students showed physically active behavior for more than six months (maintenance stage). The main barriers are related to personal and social factors.