title: Socioeconomic Status and Physical Activity in Chinese Adults: A Report from a Community-Based Survey in Jiaxing, China.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study examines the associations of socioeconomic status (SES) with intensity of different types of physical activity (PA) in Chinese adults, aimed at outlining and projecting socioeconomic disparities in PA among the population undergoing a rapid nutrition transition.
  
  
  METHODS
  A community-based survey was conducted among 3,567 residents aged 30-65 years old in Jiaxing, China, in 2010. SES and PA were assessed by a structured questionnaire. SES was assessed as socioeconomic index (SEI) score based on self-reported educational attainment, household income and occupation. Metabolic equivalents (METs) were calculated for each subject to quantify the total amount of PA from occupation, exercise, transportation and housework.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Intensity of overall PA in this population was 165 MET-hours/week, in which energy expenditure in occupational PA accounted for 82%. Both types and intensity of PA were significantly different by SES: middle SES groups had higher intensity of occupational activities; lower SES subjects engaged in more household work; whereas higher SES subjects were more likely to exercise, more active during commuting and had longer sedentary time. All the three components of SES, education attainment, income and occupation, contributed to socioeconomic disparities in PA in this population.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results suggest an overall insufficiency and socioeconomic inequalities in PA among Chinese adults in Jiaxing, a typical city experiencing a rapid urbanization in China. There is an urgent need to promote leisure-time activities in this population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health and Key Laboratory of Public Health Safety, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Mingling
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Jiaxing Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Jiaxing, China.
authors.forename: Yikang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Yamagata University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-2-2, Iida-nishi, Yamagata, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroto
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Narimatsu
authors.affiliation: Jiaxing Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Jiaxing, China.
authors.forename: Xueqing
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Tongxiang Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Tongxiang, China.
authors.forename: Chunmei
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Jiaxing Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Jiaxing, China.
authors.forename: Jianyong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health and Key Laboratory of Public Health Safety, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Genming
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Jiaxing Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Jiaxing, China.
authors.forename: Zhongwen
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health and Key Laboratory of Public Health Safety, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Wanghong
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Xu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D044466:Asian People; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007899:Leisure Activities; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*; D057185:Sedentary Behavior; D012923:Social Class; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires