Physical culture and sport are categories that have been associated with physical activity and physical education throughout time while picking up different paradigms of knowledge. However, the prevailing paradigm has been the empirical and analytical view, which focuses only on measurable and observable phenomena. Objective: to identify the concepts and approaches regarding physical culture and sport proposed at the various moments of history, based on the logic of the social determination model that characterizes critical epidemiology. Methodology: a systematic review allowing for the identification of the concepts, theories and models that have been proposed in the field of physical culture and sport, both nationally and internationally. The analysis model used was social determination. Results: physical culture is a concept related to body, culture and movement that is not recognized in the databases. In contrast, it is related to search terms such as sport, recreation and physical activity. However, in some countries physical culture is considered as a set of programs and actions developed from the areas of sport, recreation and physical activity, which is included in public La investigacion acerca de los determinantes-determinacion