Age-related comparisons by sex in the domains of aerobic physical activity for adults in Scotland

Tessa Strain,Charlie Foster,Claire Fitzsimons,Nanette Mutrie,Nick Townsend,Paul Kelly

doi:10.1016/j.pmedr.2015.12.013

Tessa Strain, Charlie Foster + Show 4 more

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https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2015.12.013

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Abstract

ObjectiveTo investigate the age-related differences in the contributions of the domains of physical activity (PA) for men and women in Scotland who met the current PA guidelines or who were insufficiently active.MethodsWe analysed data from the 2013 Scottish Health Survey (4885 adults (≥ 16 years)). Average weekly minutes of moderate or vigorous PA (MVPA) and the relative contributions to total MVPA were calculated for the domains of: walking, cycling, domestic, leisure, occupational, outdoor, non-team sport, team sport, and exercise & fitness. We performed linear regression analyses to assess differences by 10-year age group, stratified by sex and activity status (1–149 or ≥ 150 min of MVPA per week). These were repeated excluding occupational activity due to concerns with its measurement.ResultsFor the 64.3% of the sample that met the guidelines, occupational activity was the most prevalent domain accounting for 18–26% of all MVPA for those under 65 years. When excluded, there was no age-related decline in total MVPA (p > 0.05). For the 18.6% of the sample that reported 1–149 min of MVPA per week, domestic activity was the most prevalent domain. Across both sexes and activity statuses, exercise & fitness declined with age and walking was most prevalent in the oldest age group.ConclusionThe domains in which adults in Scotland undertake MVPA vary by age group. Policies designed to increase PA should take this into account. Our findings challenge current thinking on age-related changes in activity, with the exclusion of occupational activity mitigating any age-related decline in MVPA.

Highlights

Increasing physical activity (PA) levels is a successful and sustained policy priority in Scotland (The Scottish Government, 2014b)
We found 64.3% of the sample reported ≥150 min of weekly moderate and vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and met the PA guidelines; 18.6% were insufficiently active reporting between 1 and 149.99 min of MVPA per week; 17.2% did not report any minutes of MVPA
We assessed the concurrent validity for our domain based approach by comparing to figures reported in the Scottish Health Survey 2013 main report and found our figures were within 0.1% (Hinchliffe, 2014)

Summary

Introduction

Increasing physical activity (PA) levels is a successful and sustained policy priority in Scotland (The Scottish Government, 2014b). Progress is primarily monitored by the proportion of the population meeting the aerobic component of the guidelines (150 min moderate activity, or 75 min of vigorous activity or equivalent combination per week) (Department of Health, 2011), as reported annually by the Scottish Health Survey (SHeS). In 2013, 64% of the adult population in Scotland met these guidelines, an increase of 2% on the previous year. The SHeS records PA under the domains of domestic, occupational, sport and exercise, and walking. This information is important from a public health perspective as it provides the context in which PA is undertaken, potentially informing better intervention and policy design

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