Physical inactivity and anthropometric measures in schoolchildren from Paranavaí, Paraná, Brazil

AbstractObjectiveTo investigate the association between physical inactivity and anthropometric measures in schoolchildren from Paranavaí-Parana, Brazil.MethodsCross-sectional survey, carried out in July and August 2013. Sample of 566 students (287 boys and 279 girls) from 6th to 9th grade, aged 10 to 14 years, from public and private schools of Paranavaí – PR, Southern Brazil. The variables analyzed were: time of weekly physical activity through a questionnaire (physical inactivity <300 minutes/week), body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC). In the statistical analysis, the U Mann-Whitney and Student's t tests were used for comparison between genders. To identify factors associated with insufficient levels of physical activity, univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis was applied and expressed in Odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95%CI).ResultsThere was an association between physical inactivity and anthropometric measurements for BMI (p<0.001) and WC (p