title: Physical Activity Patterns of the Spanish Population Are Mostly Determined by Sex and Age: Findings in the ANIBES Study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Representative data for the Spanish population regarding physical activity (PA) behaviors are scarce and seldom comparable due to methodological inconsistencies.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Our objectives were to describe the PA behavior by means of the standardized self-reported International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) and to know the proportion of the Spanish population meeting and not meeting international PA recommendations.
  
  
  METHODS
  PA was assessed using the IPAQ in a representative sample of 2285 individuals (males, 50.4%) aged 9-75 years and living in municipalities of at least 2,000 inhabitants. Data were analyzed according to: age groups 9-12, 13-17, 18-64, and 65-75 years; sex; geographical distribution; locality size and educational levels.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean total PA was 868.8±660.9 min/wk, mean vigorous PA 146.4±254.1 min/wk, and mean moderate PA 398.1±408.0 min/wk, showing significant differences between sexes (p<0.05). Children performed higher moderate-vigorous PA than adolescents and seniors (p<0.05), and adults than adolescents and seniors (p<0.05). Compared to recommendations, 36.2% of adults performed <150 min/week of moderate PA, 65.4% <75 min/week of vigorous PA and 27.0% did not perform any PA at all, presenting significant differences between sexes (p<0.05). A total of 55.4% of children and adolescents performed less than 420 min/week of MVPA, being higher in the later (62.6%) than in the former (48.4%). Highest non-compliance was observed in adolescent females (86.5%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Sex and age are the main influencing factors on PA in the Spanish population. Males engage in more vigorous and light PA overall, whereas females perform more moderate PA. PA behavior differs between age groups and no clear lineal increase with age could be observed. Twenty-seven percent of adults and 55.4% of children and adolescents do not meet international PA recommendations. Identified target groups should be addressed to increase PA in the Spanish population.
authors.affiliation: ImFINE Research Group, Department of Health and Human Performance, Technical University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mielgo-Ayuso
authors.affiliation: ImFINE Research Group, Department of Health and Human Performance, Technical University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Raquel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Aparicio-Ugarriza
authors.affiliation: Spanish Nutrition Foundation (FEN), Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Adrián
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Castillo
authors.affiliation: Spanish Nutrition Foundation (FEN), Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Emma
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ruiz
authors.affiliation: Spanish Nutrition Foundation (FEN), Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: José Manuel
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Ávila
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain.|CIBEROBN (Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition CB12/03/30038), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Aranceta-Batrina
authors.affiliation: CIBEROBN (Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition CB12/03/30038), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Madrid, Spain.|Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology II, and Institute of Nutrition and Food Sciences, University of Granada, Granada, Spain.
authors.forename: Ángel
authors.initials: Á
authors.lastname: Gil
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Pharmacy, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Rosa M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Ortega
authors.affiliation: CIBEROBN (Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition CB12/03/30038), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Madrid, Spain.|Research Institute of Biomedical and Health Sciences, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Department of Health Sciences, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain.
authors.forename: Lluis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Serra-Majem
authors.affiliation: Spanish Nutrition Foundation (FEN), Madrid, Spain.|Department of Pharmaceutical and Health Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, CEU San Pablo University, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Gregorio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Varela-Moreiras
authors.affiliation: ImFINE Research Group, Department of Health and Human Performance, Technical University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain.|CIBEROBN (Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition CB12/03/30038), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Marcela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: González-Gross
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005843:Geography; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D057185:Sedentary Behavior; D057566:Self Report; D012737:Sex Factors; D013030:Spain; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult