Assessment of Physical Activity and Sedentary behaviour among Overweight Adolescents in Selected Urban Schools of Puducherry

Introduction: Physical inactivity is increasing among children and adolescents and may be contributing to the increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity. Only 30% of adolescents perform sufficient physical activity . Sedentary behaviours, especially watching TV, sitting at the computer and playing video games/mobile phones, are increasing among children. Aim: To assess the level of physical activity and sedentary behaviour among overweight adolescents and to examine the association between physical activity, sedentary behaviour and screen time with BMI. Materials and Method: Participants were 140 overweight adolescents aged 11-14 years from 2 Urban schools of Puducherry. They were assessed for their physical activity and sedentary behaviour by using Modified Physical Activity Questionnaire -Older children and Adolescent Sedentary Activity questionnaire. The analysis was carried out using SPSS Statistics Version 25. Linear Regression coefficient was used to examine the association between physical activity, sedentary behaviour and screen time with BMI. Results: More than half of the overweight adolescents (58%) engaged in low levels of physical activity with females being more physically inactive than males. Likewise the mean time spent in sedentary behaviour was more than 12 hours/day with a SD of 3.83. The mean time spent in screen time was 8 hours/day with a SD of 2.56. Use of smart phones contributed largely to the screen time that was significant at p<0.001. Linear Regression analysis implies that screen time was positively associated with BMI at P<0.05. Conclusion: Overall, the current study has indicated a low prevalence of physical activity and high sedentary behaviour among overweight adolescents.