title: [Levels of physical activity in an urban population from Temuco, Chile].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Physical activity plays a crucial role in the protection against cardiovascular diseases.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess the level of physical activity in a group of subjects living in urban Temuco.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross sectional study in a random sample of 1091 women aged 52 ± 10 years and 444 men aged 54 ± 10 years , living in Temuco, Chile. The level of physical activity was measured using the long form of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). Age, gender, educational and socioeconomic level were also determined in study subjects.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Median energy expenditure was 2150 and 1600 MET-minute/ week in men and women, respectively (p = 0,001). It decreased with age from a median of 1965 MET-minute/ week in those younger than 50 years old to 1647 MET-minute/ week among subjects aged between 51 and 60 years old and to 1485 MET-minute/ week among those older than 60 years. (p = 0,001). The frequency of high, moderate and low physical activity levels were 15.6, 66 and 18.4 % respectively. These levels were associated with gender, age, educational and socioeconomic level.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There was a high frequency of low and moderate levels of physical activity in the urban population of Temuco, associated with female gender, advanced age and middle socioeconomic level.
authors.affiliation: Centro de excelencia capacitación, investigación y gestión para la salud Basada en evidencias, Universidad de la Frontera, Chile. pseron@ufro.cl
authors.forename: Pamela
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Serón
authors.forename: Sergio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Muñoz
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lanas
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D002677:Chile; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004734:Energy Metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009043:Motor Activity; D015995:Prevalence; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014505:Urban Population