Objectives: to assess physical activity and overweight in a young population as factors associated with well-being.
Design: cross-sectional study.
Setting and participants: data collection was performed in primary and secondary schools of a district located in Florence (Tuscany Region, Central Italy) by a validated questionnaire; 1,776 subjects were enrolled.
Main outcome measures: physical activity levels and overweight.
Results: an overweight or obese condition in 14,4% of the study population was observed. Vigorous physical activity prevailed in normal weight children, while the time spent in a sitting position was higher in overweight subjects.
Conclusions: physical activity levels do not follow the guidelines for youth people. Educational programmes, also at schools, are recommended in order to prevent the risk of developing chronic diseases in adulthood.