Abstract
BackgroundThe role of physical activity in enhancing health is well recognized. However, in the more industrialized countries, physical activity rates are declining, and the emerging COVID-19 pandemic may amplify this scenario. Thus, this study aimed to report the Italian population’s physical activity profile living in the North-western regions during the national lockdown.MethodsPhysical activity was assessed using the official Italian short form of IPAQ, intended for Social Networking Services (SNS). Participation was voluntary, and people could fill the questionnaire simply by clicking on a specific link.ResultsThe final sample size was 612 Italians, male and female, equally distributed (49.1% male and 50.9% female). Data showed a percentage of 15.4% of inactive subjects (MET < 700), 61.8% of moderate-active (MET 700–2500), and 22.9% of active people (MET > 2500). Women were more inactive than men (p < 0.01; 57.4% vs 42.6%). Furthermore, participants were classified into four classes of age: 18–29; 30–44; 45–59; and 60–79. Class 18–29 was prevalent (p < 0.01, 68.3%) and showed higher levels of physical activity (p < 0.05).ConclusionsItalians living in North-western regions maintained a moderate amount of physical activity during the quarantine. This behavior should be encouraged, particularly among women that usually appear to be less active than men.
Highlights
Physical inactivity is a significant risk factor for several chronic diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus, obesity, osteoporosis, and certain types of cancerDepartment of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, ItalyAdapted Training and Performance Research Group, School of Exercise and Sport Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy [1,2,3,4]
Benefits of an active lifestyle are nowadays well recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) [7] that promotes to reach a goal of 150 min/week of moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity such as walking, running, cycling, or swimming to prevent cardiovascular diseases and their comorbidities [8, 9]
The purpose of this study was to report the physical activity profile of the Italian population living in the North-western regions during COVID-19 national lockdown, using the short version of International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) [23] intended for use in Social Networking Services (SNS)
Summary
Physical inactivity is a significant risk factor for several chronic diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus, obesity, osteoporosis, and certain types of cancerAdapted Training and Performance Research Group, School of Exercise and Sport Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy [1,2,3,4]. In the major industrialized countries, physical activity rates seem to decline instead of increase [10], and the emerging COVID-19 pandemic amplified this scenario. A certain amount of physical activity is significant to remain active and healthy, which might be very useful in fighting against COVID-19 [13]. In the more industrialized countries, physical activity rates are declining, and the emerging COVID-19 pandemic may amplify this scenario. This study aimed to report the Italian population’s physical activity profile living in the North-western regions during the national lockdown. Conclusions Italians living in North-western regions maintained a moderate amount of physical activity during the quarantine. This behavior should be encouraged, among women that usually appear to be less active than men
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