LEVEL OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AMONG CHILDREN AND THEIR PARENTS IN RURAL AREAS: RESULTS OF A STUDY IN THE ZAKARPATTIA REGION
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32782/pub.health.2026.1.27Keywords:
physical activity, children, parents, health, IPAQ, rural population, public health, healthy lifestyleAbstract
Topicality. Insufficient physical activity is a major public health problem and a significant risk factor for non-communicable diseases. Particular attention should be paid to children, as behavioral patterns are formed at this age. The family environment, especially the level of parental physical activity, plays an important role.
The goal of the work. To assess the level of physical activity among children and their parents living in rural areas of Zakarpattia region.
Materials and methods. Bibliographic, sociological, statistical, and graphical methods were used. A total of 1170 students in grades 5–9 and 867 parents were surveyed using the short version of the IPAQ questionnaire. The level of physical activity was assessed using MET-min/week.
Research results. It was found that physical activity among both children and parents is generally insufficient and irregular. Only 8.6% of children and 10.6% of parents performed vigorous physical activity daily for seven days. Moderate physical activity in most respondents was episodic and of short duration, which does not ensure achieving the recommended level. Walking was more common: nearly half of the children and more than half of the parents reported daily walking, although its duration was often insufficient. The average total physical activity was 2182.8 MET-min/week in children and 2611.4 MET-min/week in parents, corresponding to a moderate level but close to the lower threshold. A high level of sedentary behavior was also observed, especially among children, a significant proportion of whom spent more than 6–8 hours per day sitting.
Сonclusions. The level of physical activity among children and parents is insufficient and does not meet WHO recommendations. Episodic patterns of moderate and vigorous activity and prolonged sedentary behavior prevail. The findings justify the need to develop and implement family-oriented programs to promote physical activity and establish sustainable movement habits in rural populations.
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