Prevalence and Correlates of Physical Inactivity during Leisure-Time and Commuting among Beneficiaries of Government Welfare Assistance in Poland

The aim of the study was to assess the relationship between the lifestyle of Polish women (characterized by the quality of diets and levels of reported physical activity) and their characteristics such as age, place of residence, physical activity at work or school, reported health status, and BMI. The sample consisted of 882 women from Southern Poland. Diet quality and the level of physical activity were evaluated by the Nutrition Beliefs Questionnaire established by the Polish Academy of Sciences. The lifestyle category (healthy, moderate, or unhealthy) was based on “Prohealthy Diet Index-10” and participant’s self-assessed physical activity during their leisure-time. The lifestyle category was significantly associated with age, BMI, physical activity at work/school, and health. Moderate lifestyle (high or moderate levels of physical activity combined with low prohealthy diet) was the most commonly found classification in examined women. Age (>35 years old) and overweight are the main factors determining unhealthy lifestyle behavior. Healthy lifestyle is more often chosen by the women from big cities. More intensive efforts should be undertaken to increase the knowledge and awareness of the health benefits of a healthy lifestyle. The main goal should be concentrated on increasing the level of physical activity, especially in leisure time, and promoting the tenets of a well-balanced diet.

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diet and Physical Activity as Determinants of Lifestyle Chosen by Women from Southern Poland

Ostachowska-Gasior

Kolarzyk

Majewska

et al. 2018

“…It is extremely important to get to know a dietary behavior and determinants of quality of the diet among disadvantaged groups well, because in almost all the countries, the rates of death and poorer self-assessments of health have been substantially higher in groups with a low SES than in those with a higher SES [13,14].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence of Dietary Behavior and Determinants of Quality of Diet among Beneficiaries of Government Welfare Assistance in Poland

Kałucka

Kaleta

Makowiec-Dąbrowska

2019

Self Cite

Diet, as a modifiable factor for good health maintenance, reduces the risk of numerous non-communicable chronic diseases and prevents premature death. The aim of the study was to examine the prevalence of a dietary behavior and to find out what the determinants of diet quality among the low socio-economic status population are. The studied sample consisted of 1710 respondents. Only 3% of the beneficiaries had healthy dietary habits. Unhealthy dietary habits dominated in all the study group regardless of the subjects’ level of education (p < 0.001). Higher odds of unhealthy dietary habits were reported among the respondents with primary, vocational, and secondary education than among the respondents with high education (for the primary education OR = 11.10; 95% CI: 5.86–21.01; p ≤ 0.001; for vocational education OR = 10.54; 95% CI: 5.79–19.18; p ≤ 0.001 and for secondary education OR = 5.83; 95% CI: 3.48–9.79; p ≤ 0.001). The unhealthy dietary behavior prevalence among beneficiaries of government welfare assistance in Poland is much higher than in the general population. Since only educational level is a determinant which is significantly correlated with the unhealthy dietary behavior, promotion of a healthy diet among disadvantaged individuals should be focused on this factor.

“…In our analysis only 26% of the participants followed the recommendations for LTPA. An in-depth analysis focused on a LTPA and its correlates in our study population has been published previously [26]. This indicates that the men had a higher risk of inactivity during LTPA compared to the women.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 61%

“…Characteristics of the examined region, methodology, and the study sample have been published elsewhere [24][25][26]. Briefly, this cross-sectional study that covered beneficiaries of government welfare assistance was performed between October 2015 and February 2016 among residents of Piotrkowski district aged 18-59 years.…”

Section: Study Design and Populationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…HLI equal to 1 was dedicated to the participants who followed the recommendations. Finally, the participants were asked several questions about their leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) (including type, duration, and frequency of LTPA) and commuting physical activity (CPA) as described previously [26]. The participants who achieved criteria for the recommended level of recreational physical activity based on LTPA or CPA received, HLI = 1 [29].…”

Section: Study Variablesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Correlates of Blood Pressure and Cholesterol Level Testing Among a Socially-Disadvantaged Population in Poland

Znyk

Polańska

Bąk‐Romaniszyn

et al. 2020

Self Cite

As part of cardiovascular disease prevention, the performance of BMI determination, blood pressure measurement, biochemical tests, as well as a lifestyle-related risk assessment are recommended. The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlates of blood pressure and cholesterol level testing among a socially-disadvantaged population in Poland. This cross-sectional study was performed between 2015 and 2016 among 1710 beneficiaries of government welfare assistance. Face-to-face interviews conducted by trained staff at each participant’s place of residence allowed for completion of questionnaires that covered socio-demographic, health and lifestyle-related information. Sixty-five percent of the participants declared a blood pressure and 27% of them cholesterol level testing at least once within the year proceeding the study. A higher chance of having blood pressure testing was observed among the women (OR = 1.5; p = 0.002) and people with high blood pressure (OR = 3.9; p < 0.001). The women (OR = 1.4; p = 0.04) and older people (OR = 1.9; p = 0.02; OR = 2.6; p < 0.001, OR = 2.7; p = 0.002, for the following age groups: 30-39, 40-49, 50-59 years respectively), the respondents who declared health problems such as heart attack (OR = 3.0; p = 0.04), high blood pressure (OR = 2.3; p < 0.001) and type 2 diabetes (OR = 3.3; p = 0.004) and those with a family history of chronic diseases (OR = 1.5; p = 0.03) had a higher chance of cholesterol level checking. Higher healthy lifestyle index, indicating that the study participants have followed almost all of the studied lifestyle-related recommendations, was a significant correlate of cholesterol level testing (OR = 1.7; p = 0.006). Actions that promote lifestyle changes, blood pressure, and cholesterol level testing should take into account the needs of the disadvantaged population and should especially target men, people with existing chronic diseases, and those with unfavorable lifestyle characteristics. With respect to the socially-disadvantaged population, the social assistance institutions and outpatient clinics are the best places to conduct activities promoting a healthy lifestyle. The most commonly applied strategies to promote lifestyle changes can cover risk assessment, increasing awareness, emotional support and encouragement, as well as a referral to specialists.