Juego activo y su relación con sintomatología de ansiedad en niños escolares de Bogotá pospandemia

Introduction. Children are one of the populations most affected by the containment measures adopted by the COVID-19 pandemic, given the lack of relationships with peers, absence of recognition of emotions and self-esteem, etc. The Colombian Institute of Neurosciences reports that 88% of children are affected in mental health as a consequence of the pandemic. Physical activity has emerged as a fundamental strategy for physical and mental well-being, and is considered a protective factor in children and adolescents, since it is associated with self-esteem, life satisfaction and resilience, among others. Objective. To determine the relationship between active play as a form of physical activity and anxiety symptomatology in post-pandemic school children. Materials and methods. A cross-sectional analytical study was carried out in 74 children (54.5 % girls) aged 9.4 ± 0.86 years, belonging to three educational institutions in Bogota. Active play was evaluated by means of the CMAFYCS questionnaire and anxiety symptoms with the BAI-Y. Based on the normality of the data, linear correlations and a polynomial regression model were performed with the R Studio program. A statistical significance of p<0.05 was determined. Results. An inverse correlation was obtained between active play outside the home on weekdays (r=-0.30, p=0.01) and weekends (r=-0.31, p=0.007), with the presence of anxious symptoms. The four-degree polynomial model was determined with weekend play explaining about 11 % of the observed variability of anxious symptoms (R2=0.106, p=0.019). Conclusion. Active play is related to less anxious symptomatology in post-pandemic school children.