Time trends in physical activity in leisure time in the Danish population from 1987 to 2005

Abstract

Aims: To examine time trends in leisure-time physical activity in the Danish population from 1987 to 2005. Methods: Analyses were based on four national representative population surveys of 4752 respondents in 1987, 4667 in 1994, 16,688 in 2000, and 14,566 in 2005. Associations between leisure-time physical activity (dichotomised into high versus low) and temporal changes according to year of birth, age, and calendar-year were estimated in an age-period-cohort logistic regression model. Time trends in socioeconomic differences in physical activity were analysed by testing interaction terms. Results: The odds ratio (OR) of being highly physically active in leisure time in 2005 compared to 1987 was 1.6 (95% CI: 1.3—1.9) among men and 1.8 (95% CI: 1.5—2.2) among women. The age- and calendar-year-adjusted probability of being highly physically active increased with year of birth. The OR of being highly physically active among men and women with 13 or more years of education were 2.1 (95% CI: 1.8—2.3) and 2.0 (95% CI: 1.7—2.2), respectively, compared to individuals with less than 10 years of education. There was no significant interaction between educational level and year of interview (p>0.05). Conclusions: During the past 20 years, physical activity in leisure time has increased. Younger generations seem to be more physically active in leisure time than older generations. Due to the stable socioeconomic inequality gap in physical activity, future intervention strategies should target these inequalities.

Keywords

Age-period-cohort model Denmark physical activity socioeconomic position time trends

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Bauman AE Updating the evidence that physical activity is good for health: an epidemiological review 2000-2003. J Sci Med Sport 2004;7(1 Suppl):6-19.

Blair SN , Kohl III HW , Paffenbarger Jr RS , Clark DG , Cooper KH , Gibbons LW Physical fitness and all-cause mortality. A prospective study of healthy men and women. JAMA 1989;262(17):2395-401.

Paffenbarger Jr RS , Lee IM Intensity of physical activity related to incidence of hypertension and all-cause mortality: an epidemiological view . Blood Press Monit 1997;2(3):115-23.

Brownson RC , Boehmer TK , Luke DA

Declining rates of physical activity in the United States: what are the contributors?

Annu Rev Public Health 2005;26(1):421-43.

Barengo NC , Nissinen A. , Tuomilehto J. , Pekkarinen H. Twenty-five-year trends in physical activity of 30- to 59-year-old populations in eastern Finland. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2002;34(8):1302-7.

Orsini N. , Bellocco R. , Bottai M. , Pagano M. , Wolk A. Age and temporal trends of total physical activity among Swedish women. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2006;38(2):240-5.

Norman A. , Bellocco R. , Vaida F. , Wolk A. Age and temporal trends of total physical activity in Swedish men. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2003;35(4):617-22.

Evenson KR , Wilcox S. , Pettinger M. , Brunner R. , King AC , McTiernan A. Vigorous leisure activity through women’s adult life: the Women’s Health Initiative Observational Cohort Study . Am J Epidemiol 2002;156(10):945-53.

Stamatakis E. , Ekelund U. , Wareham NJ

Temporal trends in physical activity in England: the Health Survey for England 1991 to 2004

Prev Med 2007;45(6):416-23.

10.

Borodulin K. , Laatikainen T. , Juolevi A. , Jousilahti P. Thirty-year trends of physical activity in relation to age, calendar time and birth cohort in Finnish adults. Eur J Public Health 2008;18(3):339-44.

11.

Craig CL , Russell SJ , Cameron C. , Bauman A.

Twenty-year trends in physical activity among

Canadian adults. Can J Public Health 2004;95(1):59-63.

12.

Allman-Farinelli MA , Chey T. , Merom D. , Bowles H. , Bauman AE The effects of age, birth cohort and survey period on leisure-time physical activity by Australian adults: 1990-2005. Br J Nutr 2009;101(4):609-17.

13.

Bijnen FC , Feskens EJ , Caspersen CJ , Mosterd WL , Kromhout D. Age, period, and cohort effects on physical activity among elderly men during 10 years of follow-up: the Zutphen Elderly Study. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 1998;53(3):M235-41.

14.

Wagner A. , Simon C. , Evans A. , Ducimetiere P. , Bongard V. , Montaye M. , et al. Physical activity patterns in 50-59 year men in France and Northern Ireland. Associations with socio-economic status and health behaviour. Eur J Epidemiol 2003;18(4):321-9.

15.

Makinen T. , Borodulin K. , Laatikainen T. , Fogelholm M. , Prattala R. Twenty-five year socioeconomic trends in leisure-time and commuting physical activity among employed Finns. Scand J Med Sci Sports 2009;19(2):188-97.

16.

Kjøller M. , Juel K. , Kamper-Jørgensen F. Folkesundhedsrapporten . København: Statens Institut for Folkesundhed, Syddansk Universitet; 2007.

17.

Dowler E. Inequalities in diet and physical activity in Europe. Public Health Nutr 2001;4(2B):701-9.

18.

Ekholm O. , Kjøller M. , Davidsen M. , Hesse U. , Eriksen L. , Christensen AI , Grønbæk M. Sundhed og sygelighed i Danmark 2005 - og udviklingen siden 1987. København: Statens Institut for Folkesundhed, Syddansk Universitet; 2006.

19.

Ekholm O. , Hesse U. , Davidsen M. , Kjøller M. The study design and characteristics of the national health interview surveys. Scand J Public Health 2009;37(7):758-65.

20.

Andersen LB , Schnohr P. , Schroll M. , Hein HO All-cause mortality associated with physical activity during leisure time, work, sports, and cycling to work. Arch Intern Med 2000;160(11):1621-8.

21.

Holford TR Analysing the temporal effects of age, period and cohort. Stat Methods Med Res 1992;1(3):317-37.

22.

Carstensen B. Demography and epidemiology: age-period-cohort models in the computer age. Gentofte, Denmark: Steno Diabetes Center and Department of Biostatistics, University of Copenhagen ; 2005.

23.

Greenland S. Dose-response and trend analysis in epidemiology: alternatives to categorical analysis. Epidemiology 1995;6(4):356-65.

24.

Droomers M. , Schrijvers CT , Mackenbach JP Educational level and decreases in leisure time physical activity: predictors from the longitudinal GLOBE study. J Epidemiol Community Health 2001;55(8):562-8.

25.

Burton NW , Turrell G. , Oldenburg B.

Participation in recreational physical activity: why do socioeconomic groups differ?

Health Educ Behav 2003;30(2):225-44.

26.

Hu G. , Tuomilehto J. , Silventoinen K. , Barengo NC , Peltonen M. , Jousilahti P. The effects of physical activity and body mass index on cardiovascular, cancer and all-cause mortality among 47 212 middle-aged Finnish men and women. Int J Obes ( Lond) 2005;29(8):894-902.

27.

Clayton D. , Schifflers E. Models for temporal variation in cancer rates. II: Age-period-cohort models. Stat Med 1987 ;6(4):469-81.

28.

Clayton D. , Schifflers E. Models for temporal variation in cancer rates. I: Age-period and age-cohort models. Stat Med 1987;6(4):449-67.