BEATRIZ REGINA FERNANDES RODRIGUES
Abstract:
Adolescence is a period where the individual presents a series of biological, emotional, physical, psychosocial and cognitive changes, being associated with the increased risk of problems related to interiorization and exteriorization, such as mood disorders. Physical activity, acute or chronic, has been considered an important tool for the prevention and treatment of mood disorders. In order to contribute to the practice of physical activities in children and adolescents it is essential that a follow-up of the motor performance indices is observed. Objective: To evaluate the influence of levels of mood disorders on the motor performance of adolescents of both sexes. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. The sample consisted of 343 volunteers who were excluded according to the exclusion criterion, finalizing in 144 volunteers, aged 14 to 17 years who are high school students, afternoon and morning shift, of the 4 state schools of the municipality of Mineiros -GO. Initially, the volunteers answered three questionnaires: the physical activity level assessment, the anxiety symptom assessment, and the depression symptom assessment questionnaire. In a second moment, the volunteers realized a battery of tests for evaluation of the motor performance according to the Sport Project Brazil. This protocol consists of tests of flexibility, explosive strength for lower limbs, abdominal resistance, cardiorespiratory fitness, upper limb explosive force, agility and displacement velocity tests. Results: 94.4% of the participants were classified as sedentary. Regarding the level of depression and anxiety, 29.8% of the participants presented symptoms of depression and 9.8% presented anxiety symptoms, respectively. Regarding motor performance, the performance of female participants was lower when compared to male participants. Regarding the effect of depression and anxiety symptoms on motor performance and on physical activity level, no statistically significant difference was found between the groups. When the volunteers were evaluated in relation to the criteria of Projeto Esporte Brasil, we observed that most of the participants were classified in the zone of health risk and with poor motor performance. Conclusions: There are no differences between the motor performance of adolescents with greater or lesser symptoms of depression and anxiety; however we found high levels of sedentary lifestyle and poor performance. This is worrying since regular physical activity is a non-medicated treatment for mood disorders.
