24-Hour Movement Behaviors of Grade 9 Costa Rican Students: A Pilot Study

Meeting individual 24-hour movement behavior guidelines of physical activity, sedentary behavior, and sleep is independently and collectively associated with positive physical, psychosocial, and mental health outcomes. The aim of this pilot study was to examine the feasibility of the study and to provide preliminary evidence of the 24-hour movement behaviors of Grade 9 Costa Rican students. Cross-sectional data were collected using the physical activity sub-section of the Global School-Based Student Health Survey with n = 118 students (male = 51) in the Guápiles region of Costa Rica. The proportion of students meeting individual guidelines was: MVPA = 11.0%, strength exercises = 40.7%, sedentary time = 32.2%, and sleep = 39.8%. There were no gender-based differences based on chi-squared analyses of the proportion of males and females meeting each health guideline. One student met all four guidelines examined, and 37 students (31.4% of the sample) did not meet any of the guidelines. Our findings demonstrated that many Grade 9 students in the Guápiles region were not meeting individual 24-hour movement behaviors or combinations of those movement guidelines. These findings demonstrate a need to concurrently examine the 24-hour movement behaviors of Costa Rican youth. Additionally, assessing health and academic outcomes associated with meeting individual and integrated 24-hour movement behavior guidelines is needed.