title: Self-reported physical activity behavior of a multi-ethnic adult population within the urban and rural setting in Suriname.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Physical activity (PA) plays an important role in the combat against noncommunicable diseases including cardiovascular diseases. In order to develop appropriate PA intervention programs, there is a need to evaluate PA behavior. So far, there are no published data on PA available for Suriname. Therefore, we aim to describe PA behavior among the multi-ethnic population living in urban and rural areas of Suriname.
  
  
  METHODS
  The World Health Organization (WHO) STEPwise approach to chronic disease risk factor surveillance (STEPS) was conducted in a national representative sample (N = 5751; 48.6% men) aged 15-64 years between March and September 2013. Physical activity data were assessed using the Global physical activity questionnaire (GPAQ) and analyzed according to the GPAQ guidelines. The prevalence of meeting the recommended PA level and prevalence ratios (PR) were computed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Only 55.5% of the overall population met the WHO recommended PA levels (urban coastal area: 55.7%, rural coastal area: 57.9%, rural interior area: 49.1%). Women were less likely to meet the recommended PA level (49% vs 62.4%; p < 0.0001) and with increasing age the PR for recommended level of PA decreased (p < 0.0001). Compared to the Hindustani's, the largest ethnic group, the Javanese reported the lowest percentage of people meeting recommended PA level (PR = 0.92; p = 0.07).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Around half of the population meets the recommended PA level. Future lifestyle interventions aiming at increasing PA should especially focus on women and older individuals as they are less likely to meet the recommended levels of PA.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Anton de Kom University of Suriname, Paramaribo, Suriname. sergio.baldew@uvs.edu.|Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Research Center for Cardiovascular Rehabilitation, Faculty of Kinesiology and Rehabilitation Sciences, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium. sergio.baldew@uvs.edu.
authors.forename: Se-Sergio M
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Baldew
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Anton de Kom University of Suriname, Paramaribo, Suriname. ingrid.krishnadath@uvs.edu.
authors.forename: Ingrid S K
authors.initials: IS
authors.lastname: Krishnadath
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Anton de Kom University of Suriname, Paramaribo, Suriname. c.antonius@uvs.edu.
authors.forename: Christel C F
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Smits
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Anton de Kom University of Suriname, Paramaribo, Suriname. j.toelsie@uvs.edu.
authors.forename: Jerry R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Toelsie
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Research Center for Cardiovascular Rehabilitation, Faculty of Kinesiology and Rehabilitation Sciences, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium. luc.vanhees@faber.kuleuven.be.
authors.forename: Luc
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Vanhees
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Research Center for Cardiovascular Rehabilitation, Faculty of Kinesiology and Rehabilitation Sciences, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium. veronique.cornelissen@faber.kuleuven.be.
authors.forename: Veronique
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Cornelissen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior / Q000208:ethnology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011159:Population Surveillance; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D057566:Self Report; D013532:Suriname; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014944:World Health Organization; D055815:Young Adult