Global prevalence and gender inequalities in at least 60 min of self-reported moderate-to-vigorous physical activity 1 or more days per week: An analysis with 707,616 adolescents

Abstract

Background: Guidelines recommend that adolescents should accumulate an average of 60 min per day of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). However, using only this cut-off could hide important information. For instance, from a population-level point of view, increasing physical activity for those with no or low physical activity could provide more health benefits than increasing physical activity for those with intermediate levels. Also, including a more sensitive cut-point of at least 1 day per week could be an additional strategy for identifying those with low access/opportunities for physical activity practice. Thus, the current study aims to estimate the prevalence of ≥60 min of MVPA 1 or more days per week among adolescents globally, and to describe any relevant gender inequalities. Methods: We used representative datasets from 146 countries/territories collected between 2003 and 2019. MVPA was self-reported. Participants were grouped into younger (≤14 years old) and older (>14 years old) adolescents. Crude Poisson regression models were used to identify the relative differences in ≥60 min of MVPA 1 or more days per week between boys and girls, and random-effects meta-analysis models were used to identify the pooled estimates. Analyses were stratified by country and region. Results: Approximately 80% of both younger and older adolescents reported ≥60 min of MVPA 1 or more days per week. This prevalence was ≥94% in Europe & Central Asia and North America, while the estimates for the other regions were <77%. The prevalence of ≥60 min of MVPA 1 or more days per week was higher among boys than girls, with the largest differences occurring among the oldest adolescents (PR≤14y: 1.04 (95% confidence interval (95%CI):1.03‒1.04) vs. PR>14y: 1.09 (95%CI:1.08‒1.10)). Conclusion: Approximately 8 out of 10 adolescents reported accumulating ≥60 min of MVPA at least 1 day per week, with notable differences between regions. Gender differences were observed in several countries, especially among the oldest adolescents. Priorities for physical activity promotion among adolescents should include increasing access/opportunities for physical activity among those who do not achieve ≥60 min of MVPA 1 or more days per week and reducing gender inequalities.