SAÚDE MENTAL E NÍVEIS DE ATIVIDADE FÍSICA DE CRIANÇAS ESCOLARES

The regular practice of physical activity is fundamental to the health of children, it has\udbeen cited as factor of protection for mental disorders in school age. Objective: To verify the relation between\udmental health and physical activity levels in schoolchildren of the city Jacobina, Bahia. Method: Sample composed\udof 55 students between the ages 08 to 10 and their parents, who participated as secondary informants in this study.\udThe Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) was used for evaluation of mental health problems of the schoolchildren,\udPhysical Activity Questionnaire for Older Children (PAQ-C), for evaluation of the physical activity levels of the\udsubject, and a social-demographic questionnaire. Results: Most children were classified as sedentary (80%) and\udonly 7.3% of the sample showed positive for trace of mental disorder. No significant association was found between\udmental disorders and physical activity levels among the group, or between these variables and socio-demographic\udcharacteristics of children. It was observed that the girls were more sedentary than boys, with significant difference\ud(p < 0.01). Conclusion: Despite the low prevalence of mental health problems among schoolchildren and the\udnon-association with physical activity levels, special attention is necessary with this audience, aiming to strengthen\udphysical activity as a protective factor for children’s mental health, with investments in actions aimed at the\udencouragement of regular practice of physical activity, combining family and school. Studies with a larger number\udof samples need to be conducted and its findings must be thoroughly analyzed