Prevalence and barriers of physical activity among urban women in Kerala, South India - A Cross sectional study
Journal Title: National Journal of Research in Community Medicine - Year 2017, Vol 6, Issue 0
Abstract
Background: Data on physical activity among women in limited in India. The study explores the prevalence ,patterns and barriers of PA (Physical Activity ) among women. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 150 women aged 30 to 60 years in the residential area around Trivandrum medical college. Two stage sampling method was done. Streets were selected by simple random sampling in the first stage. Systematic random sampling was applied in the second stage to select the women. A Semi structured questionnaire incorporating the Global Physical activity questionnaire (GPAQ) was used to capture the patterns and barriers of PA. The physical activities captured in minutes were converted to metabolic equivalent scores (MET scores) to categorize the levels of physical activity. Results: The prevalence of self reported adequate physical activity was 28%. Majority of Women were aged between 30 to 45 (64%). Most of the participants were home makers(80.6%), degree holders(78.6%) and belonged to upper and middle socio economic status(74.6%). Women who were in the low PA level (<600 METS/week), moderate PA (600- 3000METS/week) and high PA(>3000 METS/week) were 52.6%, 40.6% and 6.6% respectively. More than half of the women (56.6%) were involved in sedentary activities(excluding sleeping) for more than 12 hours./day.The mean (SD) duration of television watching was 5.67hrs (1.2). Women who use “walking” as a mode of transport to nearby places were 62 (41.3%) in number. Only 4 women had the habit of regular physical exercise. Parenting demands, lack of interest, improper time management and lack of encouragement were the major barriers reported. Conclusions: The study provides evidence to design effective strategies to promote physical activity to slow down the pace of the escalating burden of non-communicable disease among women of Kerala.
Authors and Affiliations
Prathiksha Giridhran, Zinia. T. Nujum, Anu Kuriakose
Keywords
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