Abstract
The main aim of this study is to quantitatively describe the status of physical activity and evaluate its levels in a rural population and to investigate the association between the quantifiable physical activity and type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome. In total, 2076 participants aged over 40 years were included in a cross-sectional analysis. Physical activity status and the contributions of different types of activity were evaluated. The association between social behaviors and physical activities was analyzed. In addition, the impact of physical activities on type 2 diabetes mellitus and metabolic syndrome was also analyzed by logistic regression. Approximately half of the total activity in rural areas consisted of work-related activity (49.3%) followed by commuting (30.2%) and recreational activity (20.5%). In rural areas, the prevalence of physical activity levels was 28.6% for low levels, 47.3% for moderate levels, and 24.1% for high levels. Educational level showed a significant negative association with the physical activity level. Lower physical activity shows a strong and significant association with type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome. In conclusion, insufficient physical activity among rural people over 40 years old increases the risk of type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Population-wide and individualized guidelines for physical activities especially recreational physical activities should be developed.
Highlights
Insufficient physical activity (PA) is an important topic in healthcare education, especially in the context of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) because of the high risk for cardiovascular and metabolic diseases [1]
We examined whether the level of PA has a significant association with T2DM or metabolic syndrome (MS) (Table 5)
We found that PA levels could be grouped according to the presence of T2DM or MS
Summary
Insufficient physical activity (PA) is an important topic in healthcare education, especially in the context of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) because of the high risk for cardiovascular and metabolic diseases [1]. The absence of PA is considered an urgent public health problem worldwide [2,3,4]. Previous research showed that insufficient PA is already a global public health concern and is increasing rapidly especially in low-income countries. The prevalence and incidence of diabetes mellitus (DM) and metabolic syndrome (MS) are increasing rapidly worldwide, including in China. The development of DM in rural areas of China has sharply increased from less than 1% in 1980 to 10.3% in 2010 [5, 7]. Prior to 2015, 44% of the population lived in rural areas of China. The prevention and control of T2DM and MS are urgent issues in rural areas
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