Pausas ativas na sala de aula para melhorar a saúde mental, o bem-estar e o autoconceito académico em estudantes universitários: um estudo piloto de viabilidade
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v74.117187Palavras-chave:
Autoconceito académico, comportamento sedentário, ensino superior, pausas ativas, saúde mentalResumo
Introdução: A transição para o ensino superior envolve frequentemente a adoção de hábitos pouco saudáveis, como o aumento do comportamento sedentário, que pode afetar negativamente a saúde mental e o bem-estar dos estudantes.
Objectivo: Avaliar o efeito de uma intervenção de pausa activa na sala de aula nos sintomas depressivos, ansiedade, stress, bem-estar subjectivo e autoconceito académico em estudantes do ensino superior.
Metodologia: Foi realizado um estudo piloto com um desenho experimental, com alocação aleatória em grupos paralelos. Participaram 23 estudantes de Educação Física, divididos num grupo de intervenção (n = 11) e num grupo de controlo (n = 12). A intervenção consistiu em exercícios físicos breves, moderados a vigorosos, durante oito semanas. Foram aplicadas escalas validadas antes e depois do programa.
Resultados: O grupo intervenção apresentou uma redução significativa dos níveis de sintomas depressivos (p = 0,009) e manteve o afeto positivo e o equilíbrio emocional, ao contrário do grupo controlo. Não foram observadas alterações significativas na ansiedade, no stress, no autoconceito académico ou no desempenho académico objetivo.
Discussão: A redução dos sintomas depressivos foi consistente com estudos anteriores sobre os benefícios da atividade física, enquanto a ausência de efeitos noutras variáveis pode ser explicada pela duração limitada da intervenção ou pelas características da amostra.
Conclusões: A incorporação de pausas ativas na sala de aula pode ter um efeito protetor na saúde mental e no bem-estar emocional, mesmo em estudantes universitários com níveis elevados de atividade física.
Referências
Antúnez, Z., & Vinet, E. V. (2012). Escalas de Depresión, Ansiedad y Estrés (DASS - 21): Validación de la Versión abreviada en Estudiantes Universitarios Chilenos. Terapia Psicológica, 30(3), 49–55. https://doi.org/10.4067/S0718-48082012000300005
Arancibia-Martini, H. (2019). Validación de la escala de afecto positivo y negativo en población chilena y su aplicación en personas migrantes residentes en Chile. Medwave, 19(01). https://doi.org/10.5867/MEDWAVE.2019.01.7579
Ashton, L. M., Hutchesson, M. J., Rollo, M. E., Morgan, P. J., Thompson, D. I., & Collins, C. E. (2015). Young adult males’ motivators and perceived barriers towards eating healthily and being active: A qualitative study. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 12(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1186/S12966-015-0257-6/TABLES/2
Barbosa, B. C. R., Menezes-Júnior, L. A. A. de, de Paula, W., Chagas, C. M. dos S., Machado, E. L., de Freitas, E. D., Cardoso, C. S., de Carvalho Vidigal, F., Nobre, L. N., Silva, L. S. da, & Meireles, A. L. (2024). Sedentary behavior is associated with the mental health of university students during the Covid-19 pandemic, and not practicing physical activity accentuates its adverse effects: cross-sectional study. BMC Public Health, 24(1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1186/S12889-024-19345-5/TABLES/2
Beroíza-Valenzuela, F. (2024). The challenges of mental health in Chilean university students. Frontiers in Public Health, 12, 1297402. https://doi.org/10.3389/FPUBH.2024.1297402/BIBTEX
Bragg, M. A., Tucker, C. M., Kaye, L. B., & Desmond, F. (2009). Motivators of and Barriers to Engaging in Physical Activity: Perspectives of Low-Income Culturally Diverse Adolescents and Adults. American Journal of Health Education, 40(3), 146. https://doi.org/10.1080/19325037.2009.10599089
Brito-Suárez, J. M., Argoty-Pantoja, A. D., Achury Beltrán, L. F., González Martínez, , Luis Eduardo, Gutiérrez Camacho, C., Brito-Suárez, J. M., Argoty-Pantoja, A. D., Achury Beltrán, L. F., González Martínez, , Luis Eduardo, & Gutiérrez Camacho, C. (2023). Association between physical activity and affects in college students during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study. Salud Mental, 46(2), 83–88. https://doi.org/10.17711/SM.0185-3325.2023.011
Bustamante-Ara, N., Russell, J., Godoy-Cumillaf, A., Merellano-Navarro, E., & Uribe, N. (2022). Academic performance, physical activity, sleep and gender in university students during the pandemic-2020. Cultura, Ciencia y Deporte, 17(53), 109–131. https://doi.org/10.12800/ccd.v17i53.1897
Carpenter, C., Byun, S. E., Turner‐mcgrievy, G., & West, D. (2021). An Exploration of Domain-Specific Sedentary Behaviors in College Students by Lifestyle Factors and Sociodemographics. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(18), 9930. https://doi.org/10.3390/IJERPH18189930
Castaño-Perez, G. A., & Calderón-Vallejo, G. A. (2014). Problems associated with alcohol consumption by university students. Revista Latino-Americana de Enfermagem, 22(5), 739. https://doi.org/10.1590/0104-1169.3579.2475
Castro, O., Bennie, J., Vergeer, I., Bosselut, G., & Biddle, S. J. H. (2020). How Sedentary Are University Students? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Prevention Science, 21(3), 332–343. https://doi.org/10.1007/S11121-020-01093-8/TABLES/3
Chen, P., Mazalan, N. S., Koh, D., & Gu, Y. (2025). Effect of exercise intervention on anxiety among college students: a meta-analysis. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, 1536295. https://doi.org/10.3389/FPSYG.2025.1536295
Corvalán-Luengo, M. ., Díaz-Vásquez, P., Uribe-Uribe, N., & Russell-Guzmán, J. (2023). Actividad física auto-reportada, tiempo de pantalla y su asociación con calidad de sueño y calidad de vida en estudiantes de Pedagogía en Educación Física durante la pandemia del COVID-19: Un estudio transversal (Self-reported physical activity, screen time and their association with sleep quality and quality of life in Physical Education Pedagogy students during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study). Retos, 50, 321-331. https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v50.97777
Dafogianni, C., Pappa, D., Mangoulia, P., Kourti, F. E., Koutelekos, I., Dousis, E., Margari, N., Ferentinou, E., Stavropoulou, A., Gerogianni, G., Fradelos, E., & Zartaloudi, A. (2022). Anxiety, Stress and the Resilience of University Students during the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Healthcare (Switzerland), 10(12). https://doi.org/10.3390/HEALTHCARE10122573
Du, S., Hu, H., Cheng, K., & Li, H. (2023). Exercise makes better mind: a data mining study on effect of physical activity on academic achievement of college students. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1271431. https://doi.org/10.3389/FPSYG.2023.1271431/BIBTEX
Fenesi, B., Lucibello, K., Kim, J. A., & Heisz, J. J. (2018). Sweat So You Don’t Forget: Exercise Breaks During a University Lecture Increase On-Task Attention and Learning. Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, 7(2), 261–269. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.JARMAC.2018.01.012
Flores-Ferro, E., Maureira-Cid, F., Hadweh-Briceño, M., Alonso-Gutiérrez Duarte, S., Silva-Salse, Á., Peña-Troncoso, S., Castillo-Retamal, F., González-Flores, P., Pauvif-Cárcamo, F., Bahamondes-Acevedo, V., Zapata-Vera, G., Zavala-Crichton, J. P., Maureira-Sánchez, J., Brevis-Yéber, M., & Lagos-Olivos, C. (2020). Level of satisfaction of online classes by students of Physical Education of Chile in times of pandemic. Retos, 41, 123–130. https://doi.org/10.47197/RETOS.V0I41.82907
Godoy-Cumillaf, A., Fuentes-Merino, P., Jiménez-Díaz, J., & Vásquez-Gómez, J. (2022). Estudio comparativo del comportamiento de movimiento de 24 horas, en estudiantes universitarios de pedagogía en educación física (24-hour movement behaviors of univers of university students of pedagogy in physical education. Comparative study by gender,. Retos, 43, 177–184. https://doi.org/10.47197/RETOS.V43I0.87285
González-Arias, M., Dibona, P., Soto-Flores, B., Rojas-Puelles, A., Amato, M., Álvarez-Trigo, D., & Castillo, R. (2025). Academic performance, self-reported motivation, and affect in higher education: the role of basic psychological need satisfaction. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, 1519454. https://doi.org/10.3389/FPSYG.2025.1519454/BIBTEX
Hayes, S. M. (2024). Establishing the feasibility of exercise breaks during university lectures. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, 6, 1358564. https://doi.org/10.3389/FSPOR.2024.1358564/BIBTEX
Huang, K., Beckman, E. M., Ng, N., Dingle, G. A., Han, R., James, K., Winkler, E., Stylianou, M., & Gomersall, S. R. (2024). Effectiveness of physical activity interventions on undergraduate students’ mental health: systematic review and meta-analysis. Health Promotion International, 39(3), daae054. https://doi.org/10.1093/HEAPRO/DAAE054
Jiang, L., Cao, Y., Ni, S., Chen, X., Shen, M., Lv, H., & Hu, J. (2020). Association of Sedentary Behavior With Anxiety, Depression, and Suicide Ideation in College Students. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 11, 566098. https://doi.org/10.3389/FPSYT.2020.566098/FULL
Joshanloo, M. (2023). Thirteen Years of Subjective Well-Being: Within-Person Association between Positive Affect, Negative Affect, and Life Satisfaction. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1007/S11469-023-01223-7/METRICS
Kadir, M. S., & Yeung, A. S. (2016). Academic Self-Concept. Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_1118-1
Keating, R., Ahern, S., Bisgood, L., Mernagh, K., Nicolson, G. H., & Barrett, E. M. (2022). Stand up, stand out. Feasibility of an active break targeting prolonged sitting in university students. Journal of American College Health, 70(7), 2237–2243. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2020.1847119,
Li, J., Zhang, L., & Yu, F. (2025). The intervention effect of long-term exercise on depression and anxiety in college students: a three-level meta-analysis. BMC Psychology, 13(1), 701. https://doi.org/10.1186/S40359-025-03009-Z
Liu, X., & Wang, J. (2024). Depression, anxiety, and student satisfaction with university life among college students: a cross-lagged study. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 11(1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1057/S41599-024-03686-Y;SUBJMETA=160,4014,477;KWRD=EDUCATION,PSYCHOLOGY
López-Martín, E., & Ardura-Martínez, D. (2023). The effect size in scientific publication. Educacion XX1, 26(1), 9–17. https://doi.org/10.5944/educxx1.36276
Lynch, J., O’donoghue, G., & Peiris, C. L. (2022). Classroom Movement Breaks and Physically Active Learning Are Feasible, Reduce Sedentary Behaviour and Fatigue, and May Increase Focus in University Students: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(13). https://doi.org/10.3390/IJERPH19137775
Martínez-Líbano, J., Torres-Vallejos, J., Oyanedel, J. C., González-Campusano, N., Calderón-Herrera, G., & Yeomans-Cabrera, M. M. (2023). Prevalence and variables associated with depression, anxiety, and stress among Chilean higher education students, post-pandemic. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 14, 1139946. https://doi.org/10.3389/FPSYT.2023.1139946/BIBTEX
Martínez-Líbano, J., & Yeomans-Cabrera, M. M. (2023). Post-pandemic psychosocial variables affecting academic dropout in a sample of Chilean higher-education students. Frontiers in Education, 8, 1293259. https://doi.org/10.3389/FEDUC.2023.1293259/BIBTEX
Méndez-Vera, J., & Gálvez-Nieto, J. L. (2018). Propiedades psicométricas de la Escala de Autoconcepto Académico (EAA) en estudiantes universitarios chilenos. Liberabit. Revista Peruana de Psicología, 24(1), 131–145. https://doi.org/10.24265/liberabit.2018.v24n1.09
Merellano-Navarro, E., Bustamante-Ara, N., Russell-Guzmán, J., Lagos-Hernández, R., Uribe, N., & Godoy-Cumillaf, A. (2022). Association between Sleep Quality and Physical Activity in Physical Education Students in Chile in the Pandemic Context: A Cross-Sectional Study. Healthcare (Switzerland), 10(10), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare10101930
Meyer, T., Schlechter, P., Schlichting, L., & Morina, N. (2023). The Struggle Is Relative: A Comparative Processing Perspective on Academic Self-Concept and Student Mental Health. Collabra: Psychology, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.1525/COLLABRA.88330
Muñoz, R. G., Badilla, P. V., & del Picó, N. V. (2021). Asociación entre el autoconcepto académico con el rendimiento académico en estudiantes universitarios físicamente activos e inactivos. (Association between academic self-concept with academic achievement in physically active and inactive university studen. Retos, 41(41), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.47197/RETOS.V0I41.82565
Noetel, M., Sanders, T., Gallardo-Gómez, D., Taylor, P., Del Pozo Cruz, B., Van Den Hoek, D., Smith, J. J., Mahoney, J., Spathis, J., Moresi, M., Pagano, R., Pagano, L., Vasconcellos, R., Arnott, H., Varley, B., Parker, P., Biddle, S., & Lonsdale, C. (2024). Effect of exercise for depression: systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. BMJ, 384. https://doi.org/10.1136/BMJ-2023-075847
Pastor-Vicedo, J. C., León, M. P., González-Fernández, F. T., & Prieto-Ayuso, A. (2024). Effects of physical activity breaks on cognitive function in undergraduate students: a pilot study. Cogent Social Sciences, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2024.2326692
Paulus, M., Kunkel, J., Schmidt, S. C. E., Bachert, P., Wäsche, H., Neumann, R., & Woll, A. (2021). Standing Breaks in Lectures Improve University Students’ Self-Perceived Physical, Mental, and Cognitive Condition. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(8). https://doi.org/10.3390/IJERPH18084204
Peiris, C. L., O’donoghue, G., Rippon, L., Meyers, D., Hahne, A., De Noronha, M., Lynch, J., & Hanson, L. C. (2021). Classroom movement breaks reduce sedentary behavior and increase concentration, alertness and enjoyment during university classes: A mixed-methods feasibility study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(11), 5589. https://doi.org/10.3390/IJERPH18115589/S1
Peng, B., Ng, J. Y. Y., & Ha, A. S. (2023). Barriers and facilitators to physical activity for young adult women: a systematic review and thematic synthesis of qualitative literature. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 20(1), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1186/S12966-023-01411-7/TABLES/3
Pinto, A. J., Bergouignan, A., Dempsey, P. C., Roschel, H., Owen, N., Gualano, B., & Dunstan, D. W. (2023). Physiology of sedentary behavior. Physiological Reviews, 103(4), 2561–2622. https://doi.org/10.1152/PHYSREV.00022.2022/ASSET/IMAGES/LARGE/PHYSREV.00022.2022_F007.JPEG
Pressman, S. D., Petrie, K. J., & Sivertsen, B. (2020). How strongly connected are positive affect and physical exercise? results from a large general population study of young adults. Clinical Psychology in Europe, 2(4). https://doi.org/10.32872/CPE.V2I4.3103
Rafiei, H., Omidian, K., Myette-Côté, É., & Little, J. P. (2021). Metabolic Effect of Breaking up Prolonged Sitting with Stair Climbing Exercise Snacks. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 53(1), 150–158. https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0000000000002431,
Roldán-Espínola, L., Riera-Serra, P., Roca, M., García-Toro, M., Coronado-Simsic, V., Castro, A., Navarra-Ventura, G., Vilagut, G., Alayo, I., Ballester, L., Blasco, M. J., Almenara, J., Cebrià, A. I., Echeburúa, E., Gabilondo, A., Lagares, C., Piqueras, J. A., Soto-Sanz, V., Mortier, P., … Gili, M. (2024). Depression and lifestyle among university students: A one-year follow-up study. The European Journal of Psychiatry, 38(3), 100250. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.EJPSY.2024.100250
Román, F., Santibáñez, P., & Vinet, E. V. (2016). Uso de las Escalas de Depresión Ansiedad Estrés (DASS-21) como Instrumento de Tamizaje en Jóvenes con Problemas Clínicos. Acta de Investigación Psicológica, 6(1), 2325–2336. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2007-4719(16)30053-9
Rouam, S. (2013). False Discovery Rate (FDR). Encyclopedia of Systems Biology, 731–732. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-9863-7_223
Savage, M. J., Procter, E. L., Magistro, D., Hennis, P. J., Donaldson, J., Leslie-Walker, A., Jones, B. A., & James, R. M. (2024). Characterising the activity, lifestyle behaviours and health outcomes of UK university students: an observational cohort study with a focus on gender and ethnicity. BMC Public Health, 24(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1186/S12889-024-20911-0/FIGURES/3
Siedler, M. R., Rodriguez, C., Stratton, M. T., Harty, P. S., Keith, D. S., Green, J. J., Boykin, J. R., White, S. J., Williams, A. D., Dehaven, B., & Tinsley, G. M. (2023). Assessing the reliability and cross-sectional and longitudinal validity of fifteen bioelectrical impedance analysis devices. The British Journal of Nutrition, 130(5), 827. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007114522003749
Souza, K. C. de, Mendes, T. B., Gomes, T. H. S., Silva, A. A. da, Nali, L. H. da S., Bachi, A. L. L., Rossi, F. E., Gil, S., França, C. N., & Neves, L. M. (2021). Medical Students Show Lower Physical Activity Levels and Higher Anxiety Than Physical Education Students: A Cross-Sectional Study During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 12, 804967. https://doi.org/10.3389/FPSYT.2021.804967
Teuber, M., Leyhr, D., & Sudeck, G. (2024). Physical activity improves stress load, recovery, and academic performance-related parameters among university students: a longitudinal study on daily level. BMC Public Health, 24(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1186/S12889-024-18082-Z/TABLES/2
Tremblay, M. S., Aubert, S., Barnes, J. D., Saunders, T. J., Carson, V., Latimer-Cheung, A. E., Chastin, S. F. M., Altenburg, T. M., Chinapaw, M. J. M., Aminian, S., Arundell, L., Hinkley, T., Hnatiuk, J., Atkin, A. J., Belanger, K., Chaput, J. P., Gunnell, K., Larouche, R., Manyanga, T., … Wondergem, R. (2017). Sedentary Behavior Research Network (SBRN) - Terminology Consensus Project process and outcome. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-017-0525-8
Vella, C. A., & Nelson, M. C. (2023). Patterns and Correlates of Sedentary Behavior among University Students. Journal of American College Health : J of ACH, 1. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2023.2198020
Vera, A., Poblete-Valderrama, F., & Sáez, Y. (2024). Interacciones entre estilos atributivos, auto concepto académico y autoestima en estudiantes de pedagogía en educación física en Chile (Interactions between attributional styles, academic self-concept and self-esteem in physical education pedagogy students in Chile). Retos, 60, 1049–1059. https://doi.org/10.47197/RETOS.V60.106720
Watson, D., Clark, L. A., & Tellegen, A. (1988). Development and validation of brief measures of positive and negative affect: the PANAS scales. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 54(6), 1063–1070. https://doi.org/10.1037//0022-3514.54.6.1063
Weston, K. L., Little, J. P., Weston, M., McCreary, S., Kitchin, V., Gill, A., Niven, A., McNarry, M. A., & Mackintosh, K. A. (2025). Application of Exercise Snacks across Youth, Adult and Clinical Populations: A Scoping Review. Sports Medicine - Open 2025 11:1, 11(1), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1186/S40798-025-00829-6
World Health Organization. (2022, June 17). Mental health. World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-health-strengthening-our-response
Yin, M., Deng, S., Chen, Z., Zhang, B., Zheng, H., Bai, M., Li, H., Zhang, X., Deng, J., Liu, Q., Little, J. P., & Li, Y. (2024). Exercise snacks are a time-efficient alternative to moderate-intensity continuous training for improving cardiorespiratory fitness but not maximal fat oxidation in inactive adults: a randomized controlled trial. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism = Physiologie Appliquee, Nutrition et Metabolisme, 49(7), 920–932. https://doi.org/10.1139/APNM-2023-0593
Yin, M., Zheng, H., Bai, M., Huang, G., Chen, Z., Deng, S., Lyu, M., Deng, J., Zhang, B., Li, H., Zhang, X., Liu, Q., Little, J. P., & Li, Y. (2024). Effects of Integrating Stair Climbing-Based Exercise Snacks Into the Campus on Feasibility, Perceived Efficacy, and Participation Perspectives in Inactive Young Adults: A Randomized Mixed-Methods Pilot Study. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 34(12), e14771. https://doi.org/10.1111/SMS.14771
Downloads
Publicado
Edição
Secção
Licença
Direitos de Autor (c) 2025 Nicole González-Calderón, Cristian Escobar-Miranda, Javier Meneses-Pinto, Alicia Contreras-Mu, Pablo Gajardo-Cáceres, Carlos Poblete-Aro, Javier Russell-Guzmán
Este trabalho encontra-se publicado com a Licença Internacional Creative Commons Atribuição-NãoComercial-SemDerivações 4.0.
Autores que publicam nesta revista concordam com os seguintes termos:
- Autores mantém os direitos autorais e assegurar a revista o direito de ser a primeira publicação da obra como licenciado sob a Licença Creative Commons Attribution que permite que outros para compartilhar o trabalho com o crédito de autoria do trabalho e publicação inicial nesta revista.
- Os autores podem estabelecer acordos adicionais separados para a distribuição não-exclusiva da versão do trabalho publicado na revista (por exemplo, a um repositório institucional, ou publicá-lo em um livro), com reconhecimento de autoria e publicação inicial nesta revista.
- É permitido e os autores são incentivados a divulgar o seu trabalho por via electrónica (por exemplo, em repositórios institucionais ou no seu próprio site), antes e durante o processo de envio, pois pode gerar alterações produtivas, bem como a uma intimação mais Cedo e mais do trabalho publicado (Veja O Efeito do Acesso Livre) (em Inglês).
Esta revista é a "política de acesso aberto" de Boai (1), apoiando os direitos dos usuários de "ler, baixar, copiar, distribuir, imprimir, pesquisar, ou link para os textos completos dos artigos". (1) http://legacy.earlham.edu/~peters/fos/boaifaq.htm#openaccess
