Prevalence of physical activity and inactivity among Saudis aged 30-70 years. A population-based cross-sectional study

作者：Mansour M. Al-Nozha, Hazzaa M. Al-Hazzaa, Mohammed Arafah, Akram H. Al-Khadra, Y. Y. Al-Mazrou, Mohammed A. Al-Maatouq, Nazeer B Khan, Khalid Al-Marzouki, Saad Saeed Al-Harthi, Moheeb Abdullah, Maie Alshahid · 发表于：Saudi Medical Journal · 年份：2007 · DOI：10.15537/1658-3175.3857 · 被引用次数：228 · 研究领域：Physical Activity and Health、Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet、Diabetes, Cardiovascular Risks, and Lipoproteins

OBJECTIVE: To assess physical activity levels among Saudi adults, and to examine the relationships of physical activity with body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC) and obesity prevalence. METHODS: Data taken from the Coronary Artery Disease in Saudis Study which is a National Epidemiological Health Survey carried out between 1995 and 2000. Participants included 17395 Saudi males and females aged 30-70 years, selected randomly using a multistage stratified cluster sampling technique. Leisure-type and sport-related physical activities including walking were assessed using an interviewed-administered questionnaire. The activities were classified into five intensity categories and assigned metabolic equivalents (MET) according to the compendium of physical activity. Based on the intensity, duration and frequency of physical activity, subjects were classified into active or inactive category. RESULTS: Inactivity prevalence (96.1%) was very high. There were significantly (p<0.001)) more inactive females (98.1%) than males (93.9%). Inactivity prevalence increases with increasing age category, especially in males, and decreases with increasing education levels. Inactivity was the highest in the central region (97.3%; 95% CI = 96.8-97.8%) and the lowest in the southern region of Saudi Arabia (94.0%; 95% CI = 93.2-94.8%). Further, active individuals exhibited lower values of BMI and WC. CONCLUSION: These findings reveal the sedentary nature of Saudi population. The overwhelmin...