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Physical activity in youth from a subsistence agriculture community in the Valley of Oaxaca, southern Mexico
- Source :
- Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism. 33:819-830
- Publication Year :
- 2008
- Publisher :
- Canadian Science Publishing, 2008.
-
Abstract
- Observations of activities of contemporary subsistence agricultural communities may provide insights into the lifestyle of youth of 2 to 3 generations ago. The purpose of this study was to document age- and sex-associated variation in household activities and daily steps walking to school of youth 9-17 years in an indigenous subsistence agricultural community in Oaxaca, southern Mexico. Activities during leisure were also considered. A cross-sectional survey of a rural Zapotec-speaking community was undertaken, and respondents included 118 boys and 152 girls, aged 8.7-17.9 years. Household and leisure activities were documented by questionnaire and subsequent interview. Household activities were classified by estimated intensity for before and after school and on the weekend, and an estimate of METS per day accumulated while doing chores was derived. Number of steps from home to school was estimated. Contingency table analysis and MANCOVA controlling for age was used to evaluate results. Household activities tended to cluster at light and moderate intensities in girls and at moderate to moderate-to-vigorous intensities in boys. Estimated METS per day in approximately 2 h of chores differed significantly by sex. Secondary school girls expended significantly more METS per day in chores than primary school girls, but there was no difference by school level in boys. The daily round trip from home to school was approximately 2400 steps for primary students and approximately 2700 and approximately 3100 steps for secondary boys and girls, respectively. Television viewing and participation in sports were major leisure activities for boys and girls. Daily household chores, walking, and leisure activities suggest moderately active and moderately-to-vigorously active lifestyles in girls and boys, respectively, in this indigenous subsistence agricultural community.
- Subjects :
- Male
Rural Population
Television viewing
Adolescent
Mesoamerica
Physiology
Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism
Physical activity
Walking
Motor Activity
Interviews as Topic
Leisure Activities
Residence Characteristics
Environmental protection
Surveys and Questionnaires
Physiology (medical)
Activities of Daily Living
Humans
Sex Distribution
Child
Socioeconomics
Life Style
Mexico
Nutrition and Dietetics
business.industry
Subsistence agriculture
Agriculture
General Medicine
Cross-Sectional Studies
Geography
Adolescent Behavior
Female
Rural area
business
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 17155320 and 17155312
- Volume :
- 33
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....7b0c7f15e97543612cf6686ade754bee