Adiposidad, condición física, niveles de actividad física, autoconcepto físico y calidad de vida relacionada con la salud en estudiantes de educación básica secundaria y media de la zona centro y sur oriente del departamento del Tolima (Colombia)

Abstract

Adolescence constitutes a vital phase of transition in the evolutionary cycle. The purpose of this study was to analyze the levels of adiposity, physical condition, physical activity, physical self-concept and health-related quality of life in Colombian schoolchildren of secondary and middle school education in the Department of Tolima. Age, sex and educational level were taken. Instruments such as the FUPRECOLHealth and Fitness Battery, Physical Activity questionnaires for children (PAQ-C) and Adolescents (PAQ-A), Physical Self-concept (Spanish version) and SF12 were used in a sample of 1,081 schoolchildren between 10 to 20 years. The results show that the majority of schoolchildren were classified in a normal body mass index and moderate and high levels of physical activity. On the other hand, obesity levels were significantly higher in female schoolchildren, while male schoolchildren showed better results in all components of physical fitness, except in flexibility and aerobic capacity. The same was presented in the dimensions of physical self-concept and health-related quality of life. Finally, average positive relationships were found between the body mass index and the other morphological components, and a very weak positive relationship with manual grip strength and speed / agility. On the other hand, the percentage of fat reflected an inverse relationship with the horizontal and vertical jump, and the appearance dimension of the physical self-concept had a very weak positive relationship with the body mass index.