Physical education, well-being and health among Brazilian children during the social distancing period

The global health crisis caused by COVID-19 pandemic imposed several social changes around the world. Due to high contagiousness and rapid spread, social distancing was recognized as the main public health intervention to avoid the virus transmission. However, the abrupt modification in human routine had a big impact on wellbeing and general health, particularly among children. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), physical activity was one of recommended measures for different target groups, in order to preserve mobility and reduce stress and anxiety, among other benefits, during the COVID-19 outbreak. Due to the need for social distancing, the educational activities were carried out remotely, including the Physical Education (PE) classes. However, according to a survey from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), 4.3 million children had no access to the internet, among them 4.1 million students of the public educational system, that represents 81,5% of all basic schools in Brazil. The same survey also showed that 49% of Brazilian municipalities faced issues such as lack of devices and internet access in public schools. These data highlight not only the digital inequalities but also the PE teachers’ challenges in carrying out remote activities in order to promote health and well-being. This presentation will focus on the possible/best practices in promoting wellbeing and health among Brazilian children through Physical Education, during the social distancing period, caused by COVID-19 pandemic. The following variables will be addressed: socioeconomic and educational context in Brazil, access and use of technology resources by schools and PE teachers during the pandemic, challenges to promote health literacy in the context of the United Nationsagenda for sustainable development and future perspectives.

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