How Active are Australians?

How active are we?

• Over 6.5 million Australians are active participants in sports• 60% of men and 53% of women successfully achieve the

recommended time and frequency to enjoy the benefits of physical activity

• However, frequency has declined since 1997.• 62% of children participate in sport outside of school hours.• 20-25% of children and adolescents are overweight.• Fewer older people were involved in sport than younger

people• Just of 50% of those aged 15-24 were active participants

(met the NPAG). Most were active less than twice per week.

How active are Australians?

Sports participation rates

Barriers to participation

Barriers to participation

Gender - Greater proportions of males participate in sport and physical activity than females. Females generally have less opportunity and less access to sporting activities.

Socioeconomic Status – Well educated white collar workers are the most physically active Australians.

Income – People with higher incomes can participate in a wider variety of activities and more often.

Race – People born in Australia are more active than those who were not. Race is often used as a form of discrimination, thus reducing participation.

Geographic Location – Where you live can limit access to facilities and specific sports.

Methods for assessing physical activity

Measuring Physical Activity among Individuals and Populations• Measuring the amount of physical

activity is a complex procedure.• Information collected needs to address

the types of activities, frequency, intensity and duration.

Why measure our levels of activity?• Document how active our population is• Gives feedback on government health

programs• An active nation is a healthy nation• Study the factors that influence our

participation

Methods of measuring physical activity

Subjective methodsAre dependent on our own perception on physical activity.

They are predominately used for measurement in populations.

Self Report – includes diaries, questionnaires and logs.

Advantages Disadvantages

RecallShort questionnaires that seek participants to recall what PA

they have done in the past day, week or month.

Advantages• Inexpensive• Able to use large sample size• Usually easy to complete• Provides quantitative and qualitative data

Disadvantages• Unreliable due to misinterpretation of questions• Potential for subject bias – provide socially desirable

responses.

Objective methods

Often relies on solid data or observations. These are predominately used for measurement in individuals.

Heart rate telemetry• HR monitors measure our hearts

response to exercise intensity and energy expenditure.

• HR is very useful in the laboratory and in sports training. Is unobtrusive and gives quick data collection.

• However, HR is not influenced by intensity alone. There is also a lag between HR change and intensity.

Heart rate telemetry

Advantages Disadvantages

Pedometers

• Can be used to estimate physical activity energy expenditure by estimating the energy cost associated with walking.

• 10,000 steps a day helps meet the NPAG for adults.

Advantages Disadvantages

AccelerometersAn accelerometer is able to:• Provide detail on frequency, duration

and intensity of PA.• Provide minute by minute information

about subject.• Detect movement patterns throughout

a day.

Advantages Disadvantages

Accelerometry data

Direct observationDirect Observation – Involves watching people and noting specific

behaviours and activities they are participating in. Commonly used on children while playing.

Advantages• Quantitative and qualitative information• Behaviour observed• Wider variety of information gained• Software available• Used in school and community settings

Disadvantages• Difficult with large populations• Obtrusive and time consuming• Can cause bias

Direct Observation

Physical activity options

For each measurement option a trade-off exists between it’s practicality and its accuracy.Eg. Recall questionnaires and pedometers are more practical yet less accurate than measures such as direct observation. The assessment of large groups of people require the use of more practical methods. The assessment of individuals should use more accurate methods.