One-year assessment of physical activity level in adult Qatari females: a pedometer-based longitudinal study

Abstract

BackgroundPhysical inactivity is a growing health concern and has been identified as the fourth leading risk factor for global mortality. The Arab region includes countries with some of the world’s highest physical inactivity levels, such as Qatar, more specifically the Qatari female population.ObjectiveThe objective of this study is to assess the physical activity levels of Qatari national female adults during a 1-year pedometer-based program.Materials and methodsA total of 549 Qatari national females aged between 18 years and 64 years were included. Data extracted from “Step into Health” program web database in Qatar were used for analyses. Daily habitual physical activity (daily total step count and aerobic steps) was assessed through the Omron HJ-324U pedometer. Step counts were classified as follows: <5,000 steps/d, sedentary; 5,000–7,499 steps/d, low active; and ≥7,500 steps/d, physically active. Statistical significance was set at P-value ≤0.05. Descriptive statistics were used, and habitual physical activity was calculated through repeated measures analysis of variance to determine the difference across the monitored days.ResultsMean age was 37.4±11.7 years, and median body mass index of 28.8 kg/m2 (interquartile range 24.8–33.5). Daily steps for the overall population ranged from 3,505 steps/d to 10,010 steps/d, with a median of 6,008 steps/d. A total of 242 (44.1%) females were sedentary, 178 (32.4%) were low active, and 129 (23.5%) were physically active. The physically active group showed a median of 927 aerobic steps/d (interquartile range 0–4,248).ConclusionBased on the results of this study, Qatari females are not meeting the global recommendations of physical activity. Future research might need to consider barriers to physical activity as well as social, cultural, and environmental factors.

Overweight and obesity among adults in the Gulf States: A systematic literature review of correlates of weight, weight‐related behaviours, and interventions

“…Residing close to parks was related to higher levels of PA . Furthermore, being married, working in the private sector, working two shifts, or having only 1 day off during the week were associated with low PA . Participants with more family members were physically less active .…”

“…However, one study showed that age was not a significant correlate of physical inactivity . Another study showed that women aged 45 to 64 years were more active than younger women . While some studies indicated that higher educational and occupational status were associated with lower PA in the Gulf States, other studies showed the opposite .…”

“…First, the results of the 84 eligible correlate studies are described, followed by the data on the seven intervention studies …”

“…All correlate studies were cross‐sectional, except for one longitudinal study . Half of the studies were performed in Saudi Arabia, and a large number were performed in Kuwait .…”

“…The results indicated that people who were physically active showed lower levels of BMI and waist circumference (WC) than people who were less physically active . Two studies found no significant association between PA and obesity . Personal barriers to PA, such as lack of interests, skills, and motivation, were experienced more by men with obesity than by others .…”