Physical activity and sedentarism among seniors in France, and their impact on health

Spatial non-equilibrium and distribution dynamic evolution of the development level of national physical fitness in China's provinces

INTRODUCTION

Physical health is fundamental to a country's socio-economic advancement. An in-depth exploration of the spatial distribution and dynamic evolution of national physical fitness across China is crucial for enhancing the country's overall physical health. This study aims to provide valuable insights into the geographical and temporal patterns of physical fitness, informing strategies for national physical fitness improvement.

METHODS

Employing data from China's national physical fitness monitoring of 31 provinces, cities, and districts for the years 2005, 2010, and 2015, this study utilizes the Gini coefficient, its decomposition, and nonparametric density estimation methods. These techniques are applied to analyze the spatial disparities and temporal trends in national physical fitness levels among different demographics, including the overall population, males, females, and urban and rural residents.

RESULTS

The study reveals that the regional disparity in China's national physical fitness initially narrowed and then expanded across the general population, females, and in both urban and rural areas, while consistently increasing among males. In terms of geographical distribution, the East, Middle, and West regions show significant heterogeneity, with the East-West gap being the most pronounced (Gini coefficients of 0.0249, 0.0230, 0.0263). The contribution rate of regional gaps was highest (54.40% -64.69%), followed by regional disparities (24.78% -27.15%), and the contribution of hypervariable density difference was the smallest (10.53% -19.75%). Despite a slight improvement in overall national physical fitness, the absolute regional disparities have further widened.

CONCLUSIONS

Provinces with lower levels of national physical fitness demonstrate a 'club convergence' trend, indicating regional clustering of similar fitness levels. Additionally, a 'catch-up effect' is evident in rural areas, particularly in provinces with historically lower levels of national physical fitness. These findings suggest the need for region-specific public health strategies to address the growing disparities in national physical fitness across China.

Sedentary behavior and physical inactivity from a comprehensive perspective

OBJECTIVE

To characterize the prevalence of physical activity in the population aged ≥16 years integrating sedentarism and physical inactivity.

METHOD

A cross-sectional study using data from the Galician Risk Behavior Data System (n=12,928) was conducted. The population was classified into four categories: physically active (active and non-sedentary), active but sedentary (active and sedentary), lightly active (inactive and non-sedentary), and extremely sedentary (inactive and sedentary). Prevalences were calculated for each category and a multinomial logistic regression model was fitted.

RESULTS

58.0% of the population was physically active and the remaining 42.0% presented some degree of sedentarism and/or physical inactivity. Men were more likely to be extremely sedentary. The risk of sedentarism decreased with age, and workers and/or students were prone to a higher risk of extreme sedentarism in comparison to those who reported other status. Extremely sendentary behaviors were also more common in people with higher educational levels, individuals living alone, residents of urban environments, and smokers.

CONCLUSIONS

Joint evaluation of sedentarism and physical inactivity provides a more comprehensive and realistic picture of population behaviors related with physical activity. Since sedentarism is the most prevalent behavior, this study recommends that interventions be conducted at work and at academic environments.

Mediterranean Diet Adherence in Community-Dwelling Older Adults in Spain: Social Determinants Related to the Family

The Mediterranean diet (MD), a well-established quality diet model, and regular physical activity are associated with reducing the appearance or progression of several chronic diseases and reducing morbidity and mortality. However, reduction of these goals, adherence to the MD, and regular physical activity occur at all ages, including older individuals in Mediterranean countries such as Spain, where at least adherence to the MD is culturally rooted. Objective: To evaluate the degree of adherence to the MD and physical activity in older individuals. Methods: The sample comprises 679 older adults aged 60 and over who attended activities in municipal centers for older adults in Valencia. Adherence to the Mediterranean diet, frequency of physical activity, and anthropometric assessment were used. Results: High adherence (score ≥ 9) to MD was observed only in 23.7% of the study sample. Smoking habits or having meals in fast-food restaurants on a weekly basis were significantly (p < 0.05) associated with lower MD adherence. Age, BMI, marital status, and physical activity were not significantly associated with MD adherence. Physical activity was significantly (p < 0.05) lower in individuals who were divorced or widow/ers and in those taking care of their grandchildren several times a week. Conclusions: Adherence to the MD in a big Spanish city is low among older individuals. Socio-family factors seem to play a role. Public health and governmental strategies should reinforce adherence to the MD among older individuals as a gold standard for nutrition.