PHYSICAL EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAMS IN MEXICO, A POST PANDEMIC PRIORITY

Abstract

The objective of the study was to carry out a documentary review of the Physical Education study programs in Mexico implemented in the last three decades in basic education. The content analysis method was used in two stages; The first consisted of working on a bibliographic design by reviewing the definitions and approaches to Physical Education immersed in the texts. In the second stage, the general purposes of each document were reviewed. The analysis shows that the promotion of physical activity habits is a recurring purpose in study programs for thirty years that contrasts with the high rates of physical inactivity and obesity that prevail in Mexico. The definitions of Physical Education in the programs have been convergent to the political needs of the time and not necessarily to the school context. The established approaches seem ambiguous with respect to what the national context demands and is not specified in the Physical Education sessions, a divergent and humanistic approach is required whose impact is transferable from the school to the social context with positive effects on health.