The psychological research on physical activity in Puerto Rico: A narrative literature review

Resumen

Physical activity (PA) is considered a natural act of body movement meant to generate physical and emotional well-being. However, physical inactivity is recognized as a pandemic that urges prompt worldwide action. In 2017, only 5.4% of Puerto Ricans reported reaching 150 minutes per week of PA recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The purpose of this Narrative Literature Review (NLR) with systematic techniques is to synthesize the PA research conducted with an insular Puerto Rican sample. Simultaneously, this review aims to examine the state of the PA psychological research in Puerto Rico. To our knowledge, this is the first PA NLR conducted with a Puerto Rican sample. To conduct the review we used full-text articles published between 2000-2019 in ClinicalKey, Ebsco Databases, Medline, PsycINFO, PubMed, and ProQuest Dissertations-Theses UPRRP. The search period was carried out in October 2019-February 2020. The inclusion criteria included: a) research on PA in participants with chronic diseases, b) an insular Puerto Rican sample, and c) studies with a population older than 13 years. A total of 1,600 articles were found, and only 17 met the inclusion criteria. We found only two investigations from the psychology field. Our findings provide a perspective of the current state of PA investigations, suggesting a lack of PA psychological research in Puerto Rico.