Physical activity among children and adolescents in a rural community in Mozambique: effects of age, sex, and nutritional status]

OBJECTIVE: To determine the association between physical activity levels of children and adolescents of a rural community in Mozambique and their age, sex, and nutritional status. METHOD: The sample comprised 845 boys and girls from 7-16 years of age. Weight and height were measured, while physical activity level was determined using a questionnaire developed and validated for the population of Mozambique. Nutritional status was determined according to criteria recommended by the World Health Organization. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) were used to test the interaction between age and sex and between nutritional groups, respectively. RESULTS: Age and sex significantly influenced all types of activities except walking, for which the effect of sex was not significant (F = 0.4, P = 0.517). Girls were more active than boys. Age and sex were significantly associated only in relation to household chores (F = 1.933, P = 0.044) and sports (F = 2.32, P =0.014). In boys, only the total activity coefficient was different among nutritional groups (F = 3.44, P = 0.017), with boys of normal weight presenting a higher level of activity as compared to boys with low height or both low weight and height. In girls, significant differences were observed only in relation to household chores (F = 2.65, P = 0.049), with girls of normal and low weight differing from the other nutritional groups and those with low height differing from girls low in both weight and height. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that in rural Mozambique, deficits in height, weight, or both did not limit the physical activity levels of children and adolescents.