Level of physical activity and sedentary lifestyle of children and young people aged 7-18 as a social problem of the 21st century

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PhD, Associate Professor J. Herbert1
PhD, Associate Professor K. Garwol2
PhD, Associate Professor L. Zareba3
1Institute of Physical Culture Sciences, College of Medical Sciences at Rzeszów University, Rzeszów, Poland
2Institute of Sociological Sciences, College of Social Sciences, Institute of Sociological Sciences, Rzeszów, Poland
3Institute of Computer Science, College of Natural Sciences at Rzeszów University, Rzeszów, Poland

Objective of the paper was to determine the level of physical activity of children and young people based on the MVPA index, number of steps, as well as sedentary time to analyze the young people's lifestyles and make them aware of whether the level of physical activity is sufficient, or whether action should be taken in order to make children and young people more active in this respect.
Study methods and structure. A diagnostic test of physical activity of pupils and students aged 7-18 was conducted in the School Complex in Zarzecze (Podkarpackie Province, southern Poland) in 2018, from April to June 2018, upon receipt of the written consent of the parents and the children themselves. 108 pupils and students (49 girls and 59 boys) took part in the study.
Results and Conclusions. For many generations, there have been changes in the course of the population's somatic development and these changes have been steadily speeding up. They are called 'secular trends'. One of their signs is the acceleration of biological development and adolescence period. These changes are primarily related to the constantly improving social and economic situation and the improvement of the population's standard of living. These factors are, among others: change of eating habits, an improvement in environmental conditions, an increase in the level of education and better quality of health care. Monitoring the physical activity of children and young people is the main indicator of health sustainability.

Keywords: physical activity, accelerometery, children, young people, sedentary lifestyle.

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