title: Socioeconomic, health, and dietary determinants of physical activity in a military occupational environment.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Health-related advantages of physical activity are well documented. The aim was to detect socioeconomic, health, and dietary determinants of physical activity.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional design was used. Mailed questionnaires were sent to 5,000 Belgian military men. Dietary patterns were determined using the Mediterranean Diet Score (MDS). For physical activity, the validated International Physical Activity Questionnaire was used.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Participation rate was 37% (n = 1,852). Mean total metabolic equivalent task (MET-total) varied between 6,224 MET-minutes/week for the age category 20 to 29 years to 4,578 MET-minutes/week for the age category 50 to 59 years. About 58% of the participants had a body mass index (BMI) above 25.0 kg/m(2). Logistic regression indicated a strong relation between MDS and MET-vigorous. A BMI increase of 1 kg/m(2) was associated with an odds ratio of 0.95 (95% confidence interval: 0.93-0.98), meaning that each increase of 1 kg/m(2) decreased MET-vigorous with 5%. Each additional life year decreased MET-vigorous with 3%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The high level of physical activity and the physical activity promoting and facilitating occupational environment seem to be insufficient to prevent adiposity. Vigorous physical activity was most discriminative and negatively related with increasing BMI, age, and smoking and positively related with MDS.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Physical Education and Physiotherapy, Laboratory for Human Biometrics and Biomechanics, Vrije Universiteit Brussel Pleinstraat 2, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mullie
authors.forename: Audrey
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Collee
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Clarys
mesh_terms: D050154:Adiposity / Q000502:physiology*; D000328:Adult; D001530:Belgium / Q000453:epidemiology; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004032:Diet / Q000592:standards*; D004777:Environment; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008889:Military Personnel; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult