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      The International Prevalence Study on Physical Activity: results from 20 countries

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          Abstract

          Background

          Physical activity (PA) is one of the most important factors for improving population health, but no standardised systems exist for international surveillance. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) was developed for international surveillance. The purpose of this study was a comparative international study of population physical activity prevalence across 20 countries.

          Methods

          Between 2002–2004, a standardised protocol using IPAQ was used to assess PA participation in 20 countries [total N = 52,746, aged 18–65 years]. The median survey response rate was 61%. Physical activity levels were categorised as "low", "moderate" and "high". Age-adjusted prevalence estimates are presented by sex.

          Results

          The prevalence of "high PA" varied from 21–63%; in eight countries high PA was reported for over half of the adult population. The prevalence of "low PA" varied from 9% to 43%. Males more frequently reported high PA than females in 17 of 20 countries. The prevalence of low PA ranged from 7–41% among males, and 6–49% among females. Gender differences were noted, especially for younger adults, with males more active than females in most countries. Markedly lower physical activity prevalence (10% difference) with increasing age was noted in 11 of 19 countries for males, but only in three countries for women. The ways populations accumulated PA differed, with some reporting mostly vigorous intensity activities and others mostly walking.

          Conclusion

          This study demonstrated the feasibility of international PA surveillance, and showed that IPAQ is an acceptable surveillance instrument, at least within countries. If assessment methods are used consistently over time, trend data will inform countries about the success of their efforts to promote physical activity.

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          Most cited references28

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          Assessment of physical activity by self-report: status, limitations, and future directions.

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            Worldwide variability in physical inactivity a 51-country survey.

            Physical inactivity is an important risk factor for chronic diseases, but for many (mainly developing) countries, no prevalence data have ever been published. To present data on the prevalence of physical inactivity for 51 countries and for different age groups and settings across these countries. Data analysis (conducted in 2007) included data from 212,021 adult participants whose questionnaires were culled from 259,526 adult observations from 51 countries participating in the World Health Survey (2002-2003). The validated International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) was used to assess days and duration of vigorous, moderate, and walking activities during the last 7 days. Country prevalence of physical inactivity ranged from 1.6% (Comoros) to 51.7% (Mauritania) for men and from 3.8% (Comoros) to 71.2% (Mauritania) for women. Physical inactivity was generally high for older age groups and lower in rural as compared to urban areas. Overall, about 15% of men and 20% of women from the 51 countries analyzed here (most of which are developing countries) are at risk for chronic diseases due to physical inactivity. There were substantial variations across countries and settings. The baseline information on the magnitude of the problem of physical inactivity provided by this study can help countries and health policymakers to set up interventions addressing the global chronic disease epidemic.
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              Addressing overreporting on the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) telephone survey with a population sample.

              To examine a possible problem of overreporting and to describe the degree of error with the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) short telephone protocol. Cross-sectional study, using two different physical activity (PA) self-report protocols. Telephone interviews about PA in Belgium. Fifty adults who had previously been interviewed with IPAQ in a national survey. Seventy-five per cent reported less PA with the modified procedure than with the IPAQ. Twenty-three of the 50 individuals were found to have reported some amounts of PA with the IPAQ (either walking, or vigorous or moderate PA) when they should have reported none. In total, based on their revised reports of PA, 50% fewer persons met PA recommendations than was the case with IPAQ. The overreporting could not be related to types of error-prone individuals. Overreporting of PA in population samples is a serious problem that could be reduced by implementing procedure changes without changing the IPAQ items themselves.
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                Author and article information

                Journal
                Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act
                The International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity
                BioMed Central
                1479-5868
                2009
                31 March 2009
                : 6
                : 21
                Affiliations
                [1 ]Centre for Physical Activity and Health, School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
                [2 ]School of Sport and Exercise Sciences, Loughborough University, Loughborough, UK
                [3 ]School of Population Health, The University of Western Australia, Australia
                [4 ]Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute, Ottawa, Canada
                [5 ]Active Living Research, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
                [6 ]Department of Exercise and Wellness, Arizona State University, Mesa, AZ, USA
                [7 ]Department of Biosciences and Nutrition at Novum, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
                [8 ]US Centers for Disease Control, (Physical Activity and Nutrition Branch), Atlanta, GA, USA
                [9 ]IPS Collaborating research groups in each country (see Appendix 1)
                Article
                1479-5868-6-21
                10.1186/1479-5868-6-21
                2674408
                19335883
                de122e14-00d2-46e3-adf1-aae36b5efb51
                Copyright © 2009 Bauman et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

                This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

                History
                : 3 September 2008
                : 31 March 2009
                Categories
                Research

                Nutrition & Dietetics
                Nutrition & Dietetics

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