Prevalence of sufficient MVPA among Thai adults: pooled panel data analysis from Thailand’s surveillance on physical activity 2012–2019

Abstract

Background The role of data in informing decision makers in formulating policy to improve population health is undeniably important. During the past few years, the Thai government has undertaken continuous health promotion campaigns and programs. Nevertheless, evidence of how physical activity (PA) has improved is lacking. This study aims to present PA prevalence and trends from nationally-representative surveillance data collected during 2012–2019. Methods This study employed 8 rounds of Thailand’s Surveillance on Physical Activity (SPA) survey from 2012 to 2019 as a pooled analysis from two-panel data (SPA2012–2016 and SPA2017–2019). Multistage random sampling was applied to select Thai adults aged 18 or over to produce a nationally-representative dataset, by considering the place of residence (urban or rural), gender, and single year of age. Face-to-face interviews using a structured questionnaire were conducted in 5 regions, 13 provinces, and 36 villages to follow up 5648 individuals in Panel 1 (SPA2012–2016) and 6074 persons in Panel 2 (SPA2017–2019). Results The prevalence (%) of Thai adults who met WHO recommendations on sufficient PA tended to increase over time, from 66.6 (CI 65–68) in SPA2012 to 70.1 (CI 69–71), 69.5 (CI 68–71), 73.1 (CI 72–74), 70.6 (CI 69–72), 73.0 (CI 72–74), 75.6 (CI 74–77), and 74.3 (73–75) in SPA2013–2019, respectively. Thai females are less physically active than males, and the prevalence of sufficient moderate and vigorous PA (MVPA) was highest among middle-aged adults (35–64 years), and lowest among older adults (65+ years). Work-related PA dominated the cumulative minutes of MVPA per week, followed by recreational PA. Conclusion The prevalence of sufficient MVPA has fluctuated over time with a tendency to increase in the most recent years. Work-related is the most common modes of PA among Thai adults, implying further improvement in recreational physical activity is required. Workplace intervention should also be the focus in improving PA of Thai adults by encouraging their work force to engage in more occupational PA.

Refining index to measure physical activity inequality: which group of the population is the most vulnerable?

“…Regional disparities are reflected by a higher level of inactivity among Latin American, Central Asian, and northern-hemisphere countries [ 1 ]. Previous studies in Thailand also reported that the PA level of Thais differed according to age, sex, geographical region, residential area (urban/rural), educational attainment, and occupation [ 19 ]. PA participation was also correlated with physical and social environment of the individual, including family, peers, and the availability of facilities and information [ 20 , 21 ].…”

Physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and sleep in the Thai population: A compositional data analysis including 135,824 participants from two national time-use surveys

“…Furthermore, the data from two Thailand’s Surveillance on Physical Activity surveys showed a fluctuating trend. They found that Thai adults (aged 18 years and over) engaged in moderate-to-vigorous PA on average for 11.7 h/week in 2012, 13.8 h/week in 2013, 11.2 h/week in 2014, and 9.1 h/week in 2015 [ 80 ]. If we only consider the first and the last year in their survey, our findings are in accordance with their results.…”

Effective coverage of diabetes and hypertension: an analysis of Thailand’s national insurance database 2016–2019

“…Healthy diet and physical activity promotions are active campaign since 2001 by Thai Health Foundation 43. Thailand may capitalise the high prevalence of adequate moderate-to-vigorous physical activities and many WHO recommended NCD measures implemented, such as sugar sweetened beverages tax, strengthening food environment, regulation of food marketing, alcohol and tobacco control 44–47. However, significant efforts are required to reverse the worsening prevalence trend.…”