Who are the sedentary people in Israel? A public health indicator.
BACKGROUND
Increasing physical activity and thereby reducing a sedentary lifestyle can lower the risk of chronic diseases. Raising the population's involvement in physical activity is a major challenge for public health and healthcare services.


OBJECTIVE
To identify subpopulations with a sedentary lifestyle and low levels of adherence to physical activity recommendations.


METHODS
The Israel Center for Disease Control performed two national surveys during 2002-2003, interviewing 7,307 Jewish Israelis and 1,826 Arab Israelis over age 21. Respondents were asked if they engaged in physical activity lasting at least 20 consecutive minutes, and if so how frequently: less than once a week, once or twice a week, nearly every day or every day.


RESULTS
Arab respondents were less physically active than Jewish respondents after adjusting for gender, age, level of religiosity, marital status, education, self-reported health, smoking, body mass index, and type of survey. Multiple logistic regression analysis run separately for Jews and Arabs found a more sedentary lifestyle, in both groups, among women, the less educated, those who were married and those with poor subjective health. Among Jews, younger age, increased religiosity, smoking and high BMI were associated with a sedentary lifestyle.


CONCLUSIONS
The Jewish population is in need of more targeted and specific interventions for lower adhering subpopulations, such as women, the less educated and those with other risk factors. In the Arab population a more thorough understanding of the benefits of physical activity is needed; however, it seems that a general intervention is required to decrease the prevalence of a sedentary lifestyle all round.
Baron-Epel
Orna
O
Israel Center for Disease Control, Ministry of Health, Tel Hashomer, Israel. ornaepel@research.haifa.ac.il
Haviv
Amalia
A
Garty
Noga
N
Tamir
Dov
D
Green
Manfred S
MS
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D018912:Arabs / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006293:Health Promotion; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007557:Israel; D007585:Jews / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008019:Life Style / Q000208:ethnology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009043:Motor Activity; D011634:Public Health; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires