Epidemiology of physical activity in adult Polish population in the second decade of the 21st century. Results of the NATPOL 2011 study (original) (raw)

Patterns of leisure time physical activity and its determinants among a sample of adults from Kielce region, Poland - the 'PONS' study

Annals of agricultural and environmental medicine : AAEM, 2011

The aim of the study was to evaluate the prevalence, socio-demographic patterns and behavioural characteristics of leisure time physical activity in a pilot group of respondents of the Polish-Norwegian Study (PONS). PONS is an open-ended prospective study set in Świętokrzyski Province with study cohort consisting of adults aged 45-64 years. The physical activity section of the questionnaire was based on the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. 43% of the respondents had not walked for at least 10 minutes in their leisure time during the last week. The majority did not engage in any moderate or vigorous physical activity (PA). Being physically active was more prevalent among residents of urban areas and among respondents with a higher level of education. Performing PA was also positively associated with higher net income per household member. On average, respondents had spent 47 hours in a sedentary position during last week. The majority of subjects reported watching TV fo...

Epidemiology of physical inactivity in Poland: Prevalence and determinants in a former communist country in socioeconomic transition

Public Health, 2009

Objectives: The aim of this study was to identify physical activity patterns and determinants of physical inactivity in a representative sample of Polish adults. Study design: A cross-sectional analysis of 14 769 randomly selected individuals (52.7% women and 47.3% men) aged 20-74 years participating in the National Polish Health Survey, WOBASZ (2002WOBASZ ( -2005. Methods: Sociodemographic and lifestyle details were collected. Assessment of physical activity was based on selected questions from the CINDI Health Monitor Questionnaire.

Leisure-time Physical Activity of Polish White-collar Workers: A Cross-sectional Study

Hong Kong Journal of Occupational Therapy

The aim of this study was to assess the leisure-time physical activity of Polish white-collar workers in relation to various health recommendations. Methods: The study used a cross-sectional design with a convenience sample of 482 whitecollar workers from Poland. Researchers recorded the leisure-time physical activity logs for 7 consecutive days of the week. Physical activity level was interpreted in relation to the World Health Organization and the American College of Sports Medicine recommendations. Results: Among the workers, 42% of women and 53% of men declared moderate physical activity for at least 150 minutes per week, but only 23% of women and 18% men undertook activity in at least 5 days. Conclusion: The results of the physical activity identified were significantly different from the American College of Sports Medicine and World Health Organization recommendations. The lower percentage of workers who met American College of Sports Medicine recommendations was caused by insufficient frequency of physical efforts.

Socio-Demographic and Leisure Activity Determinants of Physical Activity of Working Warsaw Residents Aged 60 to 69 Years

The purpose of the study was to assess factors determining physical activity in persons at the age of 60-69 years in an urban area. The study included 262 working residents of Warsaw at the initial period of old age. The study utilized a questionnaire consisting of two parts. The first part concerned recreational and touristic activities in the previous year. The second is a Polish version of IPAQ, assessing the respondents' level of activity throughout the past week. Based on IPAQ results, the respondents were divided into physically active and inactive ones. The active group included people meeting moderate to vigorous physical activity, whereas the inactive group included people who took up no physical activity at all or those with a low physical activity level. The relations between taking up physical activity and the variables characterizing the demographic structure as well as touristic and recreational activity of the respondents were assessed with the use of a log-linear analysis. Out of the variables taken into account, age, education and participation in physical recreation proved to be significant factors in taking up activity by the elderly. The odds ratios computed for the analyzed variables indicate that the risk of being inactive increases over two times after exceeding 65 years of age; a risk of similar magnitude was also observed in case of less educated populations. Regular participation in physical recreation provides a four-times increase in the chances to achieve levels of physical activity sufficient to remain healthy.

Comparative Leisure Physical Activity: A Comparison Between Polish and European Population

Introduction and objective: In Poland, there are only a few studies that refer to the whole society’s participation in sport and recreation and that are based an the international questionnaire thus allowing for comparative analysis with other European reports. The aim of the study was to determine the association between leisure physical activity and socio-demographic variables. Methods: A survey based on CAPI was carried out in Poland from October to November 2012. A random sample of Polish adults (N=1,633) was interviewed using the IPAQ-long form. The data were analyzed using standard statistical procedures. Results: More than 21% of Polish subjects did not undertake any physical activity in their leisure time. Of those who were physically active, over 70% engaged in vigorous physical activity; only one in four respondents performed moderate physical activity or walking. The average leisure physical activity of the Poles was 1,916.9 ± 2,621 MET-min/week. A comparison of the current results and European research findings demonstrated that the median physical activity for the Polish population (MET-min/week) was similar to the median values for Czech subjects and Norwegian males and nearly three times higher than Croats. Conclusions: Insufficient participation in the conscious process of caring for one’s health is a common occurrence among adults living in the EU. In order to encourage the Polish population’s participation in physical activities, it is necessary to raise their awareness of the need of well-balanced, regular exercise. Furthermore, this study suggests that caution is warranted before using the CAPI technique to provide the IPAQ-long form survey.

Physical activity and sedentary behaviour in Czech adults: Results from the GPAQ study

European Journal of Sport Science, 2014

The levels of physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviour are significant indicators of health behaviour and their monitoring is crucial in developing public policy in the area of health promotion and non-communicable disease prevention. The aim of the study was to describe the prevalence of PA and sedentary behaviour as well as age and gender differences in Czech adults (18-90 years old, N 1753; 48.4% male) participating in the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ) cross-sectional study 2011. To assess the significant differences between self-reported PA and sedentary behaviour the MANOVA, a post hoc Fischer's least significant difference (LSD) test and logistic regression were used. The level of PA was classified according to the amount of MET-minutes per week as high, moderate or low. Irrespective of age and gender, 32.3% of adults reported a low level of PA; 21.3% of adults fell within the category of moderate level of PA and 46.4% of adults reported a high level of PA. The level of PA decreases with age; men are generally more physically active than women. More than 60% of adults across all age categories are assessed as 'sedentary'. The highest rate of sedentary behaviour was observed in adults over 65 years of age. The development of national strategies for PA promotion together with the development and verification of specific intervention programmes, especially for women, should be a priority in the Czech Republic.

The Regularities in Insufficient Leisure-Time Physical Activity in Poland

Background: Insufficient physical activity (PA) has become an increasing risk factor of noncommunicable diseases and an important cause of deaths all over the world. The goal of this paper is to provide an in-depth description of insufficient PA in Poland as well as an examination of some of its correlates. Methods: We take advantage of statistical and econometric (logistic regression) analysis on the basis of a representative survey. Out of 3056 respondents, we analyze the 1260 low-PA ones. Results: The household size is more significant than the household life phase, and only several professions increase the odds of insufficient PA. The influence of socioeconomic status and place of residence is most robust. Gender does not significantly influence insufficient PA. Physical inactivity is concentrated among inhabitants of rural areas and town dwellers, with poor educational profile, and limited labor market opportunities. However, even high socioeconomic status does not completely prevent insufficient activity. Conclusions: Groups at the highest risk of inactivity should be covered by promotional actions first. Their aim should mainly be raising the leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) awareness. To start with, primary forms of activity would be walking, Nordic walking and jogging.

Leisure time physical activity among employed and unemployed women in Poland

Objective/Background: The aim of the paper was to investigate the leisure time physical activity (LTPA) among Polish employed and unemployed women in light of meeting the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommendations and analysed its relationship with employment status. The concept of personal responsibility for a healthy lifestyle plays in the modern times a crucial role here and is an integral part of the prevention process (including the necessity for LTPA). Methods: A sample (nZ527) of Polish women was surveyed by the long form of International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ-LF), with statistically significant differences between variables (intensity and duration of the activity vs. employment status), in the model being verified by chi-square testing. Multi-variable logistic regression analysis was performed to find the relationship between socio-demographic criteria and the amount of exercise recommended by WHO. The relationship between LTPA and the amount of exercise recommended by WHO was assessed using the log-linear analysis. Results: Over one-third of the respondents did not engage in any LTPA (employed e 38.6 and unemployed e 36.6%). Employed women engaged in vigorous exercises more often (18.2%) than those who were unemployed (5.8%). The amount of LTPA undertaken by the majority of respondents (58.7% employed and 65.2% unemployed) was not sufficient to maintain their health owing to lack of walking, moderate and vigorous LTPA. Conclusion: Polish women nowadays (regardless of whether they are employed or not) still do not engage in a sufficient amount of LTPA to maintain their health. Intervention programme in both groups is needed.