Ten-Year Changes in the Prevalence and Socio-Demographic Determinants of Physical Activity among Polish Adults Aged 20 to 74 Years. Results of the National Multicenter Health Surveys WOBASZ (2003-2005) and WOBASZ II (2013-2014).
BACKGROUND
The aim of the study was to estimate ten-year changes in physical activity (PA) patterns and sociodemographic determinants among adult residents of Poland.


METHODS
The study comprised two independent samples of randomly selected adults aged 20-74 years participating in the National Multicentre Health Survey WOBASZ (2003-2005; n = 14572) and WOBASZ II (2013-2014; n = 5694). In both surveys the measurements were performed by six academic centers in all 16 voivodships of Poland (108 measurement points in each survey). Sociodemographic data were collected by an interviewer-administered questionnaire in both surveys. Physical activity was assessed in three domains: leisure-time, occupational and commuting physical activity.


RESULTS
Leisure-time PA changed substantially between the surveys (p<0.001). The prevalence of subjects being active on most days of week fell in both genders in the years 2003-2014 (37.4% vs 27.3% in men); 32.7% vs 28.3% in women. None or occasional activity increased from 49.6% to 56.8% in men, while remained stable in women (55.2% vs 54.9%). In both WOBASZ surveys the likelihood of physical inactivity was higher in less educated individuals, smokers and those living in large agglomerations (p<0.01). No significant changes were observed in occupational activity in men between the surveys, while in women percentage of sedentary work increased from 43.4% to % 49.4% (p<0.01). Commuting PA decreased significantly in both genders (p<0.001). About 79.3% of men and 71.3% of women reported no active commuting in the WOBASZ II survey.


CONCLUSIONS
The observed unfavourable changes in PA emphasize the need for novel intervention concepts in order to reverse this direction. Further detailed monitoring of PA patterns in Poland is of particular importance.
Department of Preventive Medicine, Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland.
Magdalena
M
Kwaśniewska
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland.
Małgorzata
M
Pikala
Department of Social Pathologies, Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland.
Wojciech
W
Bielecki
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland.
Elżbieta
E
Dziankowska-Zaborszczyk
Department of Preventive Medicine, Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland.
Ewa
E
Rębowska
Department and Clinic of Cardiology, Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland.
Krystyna
K
Kozakiewicz
Department of Epidemiology and Population Studies, Institute of Public Health, Jagiellonian University of Krakow, Krakow, Poland.
Andrzej
A
Pająk
Department of Epidemiology, Cardiovascular Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University, Institute of Cardiology, Warsaw, Poland.
Jerzy
J
Piwoński
Department and Clinic of Hipertensiology Angiology and Internal Medicine, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poznan, Poland.
Andrzej
A
Tykarski
Department and Clinic of Hypertension and Diabetology, Medical University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland.
Tomasz
T
Zdrojewski
Department of Preventive Medicine, Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland.|Department of Epidemiology, Cardiovascular Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University, Institute of Cardiology, Warsaw, Poland.
Wojciech
W
Drygas
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007899:Leisure Activities; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009790:Occupations / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011044:Poland; D015995:Prevalence; D011817:Rabbits; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014186:Transportation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult