Associations between Motives for Physical Exercise, Body Composition and Cardiorespiratory Fitness: A Cross-Sectional Study

Trends in the rate of regular exercise among adults: results from chronic disease and risk factor surveillance from 2010 to 2018 in Jiangsu, China

Objective

The aims of this study were to estimate the rates of regular exercise and its trends among the adult population in Jiangsu, from 2010 to 2018, China, and to assess associations with sociodemographic factors.

Methods

Chronic disease and risk factor surveillance data from adults aged ≥18 years were gathered in Jiangsu Province from 2010 to 2018. Rates of regular exercise were calculated after post-stratification weighting, and time trends were compared among participants with different characteristics, including gender, age, urban-rural region, educational level, occupation, annual household income, body mass index (BMI), baseline self-reported chronic diseases, smoking status, alcohol consumption, and region. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the associations of sociodemographic characteristics with regular exercise.

Results

A total of 33,448 participants aged 54.05 ± 14.62 years and 55.4% female (8,374 in 2010, 8,302 in 2013, 8,372 in 2015, and 8,400 in 2018) were included in this study. The weighted rate of regular exercise was 12.28% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 9.11-15.45%) in 2010 and 21.47% (95% CI, 17.26-25.69%) in 2018, showing an overall increasing trend (P for trend = 0.009). Nevertheless, stratification analysis showed that the regular exercise rate decreased from 33.79% in 2010 to 29.78% in 2018 among retired adults. Significant associations were observed between regular exercise and age >45 years (45- < 60 years, odds ratio [OR]: 1.24, 95% CI: 1.14-1.34; ≥60 years, OR: 1.20, 95% CI: 1.08-1.34), urban residence (OR: 1.43, 95% CI: 1.32-1.54), higher education (primary, OR: 1.30, 95% CI: 1.16-1.46; secondary, OR: 2.00, 95% CI: 1.79-2.25; college or higher, OR: 3.21, 95% CI: 2.77-3.72), occupation (manual work, OR: 1.52, 95% CI: 1.33-1.73; non-manual work, OR: 1.69, 95% CI: 1.54-1.85; not working, OR: 1.22, 95% CI: 1.03-1.44; retired, OR: 2.94, 95% CI: 2.61-3.30), higher income (¥30,000- < ¥60,000, OR: 1.16, 95% CI: 1.06-1.28; ≥¥60,000, OR: 1.20, 95% CI: 1.10-1.32), higher BMI (overweight, OR: 1.12, 95% CI: 1.05-1.20), self-reported chronic disease at baseline (OR: 1.24, 95% CI:1.16-1.33), former smoking (OR: 1.15, 95% CI: 1.01-1.31) and ever (30 days ago) drinking (OR: 1.20, 95% CI: 1.11-1.29).

Conclusion

The rate of regular exercise among adults in Jiangsu Province was low, but this rate increased by 9.17% from 2010 to 2018, showing an upward trend. There were differences in the rate of regular exercise among different sociodemographic factors.

Health-Related Physical Fitness in Adolescents from Spain, Estonia and Iceland: A Cross-Sectional, Quantitative Study

The benefits of physical fitness (PF) for health are well-known. Low PF significantly contributes to the prevalence of obesity in adolescents, with an increased risk of developing chronic diseases. The objectives of the present study were to explore the health-related PF components and body composition levels in adolescents in three European cities, and their differences. The present study is a cross-sectional, descriptive, and quantitative research effort with 1717 participants aged between 13−16 years (48% girls), enrolled in public and private secondary schools in Seville (Spain), Reykjavik (Iceland) and Tartu (Estonia). The ALPHA fitness battery test was used with the following tests: handgrip strength, standing broad jump, 4 × 10 m speed-agility, 20 m shuttle run, and anthropometric variables. Regarding body composition, differences were detected for city and gender in height (p < 0.001), weight (p < 0.001), body fat percentage (p < 0.001), and waist circumference (p < 0.001); but no differences were reported for BMI for both city (p = 0.150) and gender (p = 0.738). Similarly, concerning PF, it was detected statistically significant differences between cities and gender in handgrip strength (p < 0.001), jump test (p < 0.001), speed-agility test (p < 0.001), and cardiovascular endurance in both variables (p < 0.001). In total, 26.8% of the boys and 27.3% of the girls were categorized as overweight; 18.1% of the boys and 31.2% of the girls had an excessive percentage of fat mass; and 22.7% of the boys and 22.2% of the girls showed an excessive waist circumference. The participants from Seville presented the lowest results in PF tests. In contrast, Reykjavik, with the highest results in the endurance and speed-agility tests, and Tartu, with higher results in the manual grip strength and long jump tests, shared the highest results.