Activity and physical fitness in adolescent students of the cities of Zaragoza (Spain) and Monterrey (Mexico)

In the field of the physical education and the sport is transcendental to make comparative studies between two different countries, on the physical activity and the physical fitness of the young people. The intention of this study was to determine and to compare the average energy expense and the physical training conditions of the adolescent students of the cities of Zaragoza (Spain) and Monterrey (Mexico). It was made in a sample of adolescent students of 12 to 17 years old (394 of Zaragoza and 396 of Monterrey) for a confidence level of 95% and an error of 5%, pertaining to scholastic public and deprived centers. It was applied the “Physical Four One-day Activity Questionnaire” (Cale, 1993) and the battery of physical fitness “Mexican scholastic Pentathlon” (CONADE, 1997). The periods of registry were, in winter and spring distinguishing in both cases the scholastic day and the weekend.;We considered that the used questionnaire of physical activity in this study, it is a simple and valid instrument to measure the average students energy expense. The specialists in physical activity (monitors of physical activity, trainers and professors of physical education) can have a method, not very used until the moment, in order to detect the different levels from physical activity of its students and therefore to design specific programs of exercise for the different groups.;The physical activity diminishes with the age and in relation with the gender men present greater levels of physical activity than the women, confirming the presented by different authors. In Zaragoza as well as in Monterrey, there is an important number of students with low levels of physical activity, half of the students has been almost typified like sedentary and very sedentary. The students of Monterrey show significantly lower level of physical training conditions than the students of Zaragoza. The average energy expense has a positive correlation with the general physical fitness and most of the components of it; this relation was found in both studies groups (Zaragoza and Monterrey).