Suchergebnisse

Background Many studies have shown the health burden of a sedentary lifestyle. The main goal of this study was to determine the prevalence of sedentary lifestyles in the 15 Member States of the European Union (EU) and to identify the main correlates of a sedentary lifestyle. Methods Nationally representative samples (n ≈ 1000 subjects in each country; >15 years) completed a questionnaire concerning attitudes to physical activity, body weight, and health; in total 15 239 subjects. Sedentary people were defined in two ways: (1) those expending less than 10% of their leisure time expenditure in activities involving ≥4 metabolic equivalents (MET). (2) Those who did not practice any leisure-time physical activity and who also were above the median in the number of hours spent sitting down during leisure time. Logistic regression models were fitted to analyse the association between sedentary lifestyles and gender, age, body mass index (BMI), educational level, weight change in the last 6 months, and marital and smoking status. Results Percentages of sedentary lifestyles across European countries ranged between 43.3% (Sweden) and 87.8% (Portugal) according to the first definition. According to both definitions, a lower prevalence of sedentary lifestyle was found in Northern countries (especially Scandinavian countries) as compared with Mediterranean countries, whereas the prevalence was higher among older, obese, less educated, widowed/divorced individuals, and current smokers. Similar relative differences between countries and socio-demographic groups were found independently of the method used to define a sedentary lifestyle. Conclusion Prevalence of sedentary lifestyle in the EU is high, especially among inhabitants of some Mediterranean countries, obese subjects, less-educated people, and current smokers. This high prevalence involves important public health burdens and preventive strategies are urgently needed.

Objective To identify the factors associated with an adequate perception of body image in relation to body weight. Material and methods An observational, cross-sectional study was conducted in a representative sample of the European Union (7155 men and 8077 women). Body Mass Index (BMI) was grouped into four categories, perceived body image was assessed using the nine silhouettes drawing scheme. A multivariable logistic regression model for each sex was used to adjust for potentially confounding variables. Results Underweight men and women classi®ed themselves better than other groups (92.9% of correct answers among men and 79.3% among women). Overall, women classi®ed themselves better than men (57.6% vs. 32.7%). Discussion Perceived body image as a method of assessment for body weight has different validity depending on sociodemographic or attitudinal categories. Perceived body image as an estimate of the nutritional status has a limited individualized application. Thus, perhaps it could be applied as a proxy measure of adiposity among slim males and among slim and overweight females, but not among the other groups.

PURPOSE: To estimate the prevalence of physical activity during leisure time in adults from the 15 member states of the European Union and the relationship with sociodemographic variables. METHODS: A representative sample, with approximately 1000 adults, aged 15 and upward, was selected from each member state to complete a questionnaire on attitudes to physical activity, body weight, and health by a face-to-face interview, summing a total of 15,239 subjects. The amount of leisure-time physical activity was quantified by assigning metabolic equivalents (METs) to each activity. Multiple linear regression models with MET-h.wk(-1) as the dependent variable were fitted. RESULTS: Northern European countries showed higher levels of physical activity than southern ones. The highest prevalence (91.9%) was found in Finland, and the lowest (40.7%) in Portugal. A higher percentage of men practiced any leisure-time physical activity and also showed higher mean of MET-h.wk(-1). In both genders, the multivariate models showed a significant trend to higher leisure time activity in participants with higher educational levels and in nonsmokers. Also, an inverse association between body mass index and leisure-time physical activity was found. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of any physical activity during leisure time in the adult European population was similar to the U.S. estimates. Nevertheless, the amount of activity is low, and a wide disparity between countries exists. To our knowledge, this is the first study determining the prevalence and amount of leisure-time physical activity, which is the first step to define strategies to persuade populations to increase their physical activity.

The present study set out to explore the option of developing food portion size for nutritional labelling purposes using two European Union (EU) dietary surveys. The surveys were selected as they differed in (a) methodologies (food diary versus food frequency questionnaire), (b) populations (Irish National Adult Nutrition Survey (NANS) versus a seven-country survey based on the pan EU study Food4Me), (c) food quantification (multiple options versus solely photographic album) and (d) duration (4 consecutive days versus recent month). Using data from these studies, portion size was determined for 15 test foods, where portion size was defined as the median intake of a target food when consumed. The median values of the portion sizes derived from both the NANS and Food4Me surveys were correlated (r = 0.823; p < 0.00) and the mean of the two survey data sets were compared to US values from the Recognized as Customarily Consumed (RACC) database. There was very strong agreement across all food categories between the averaged EU and the US portion size (r = 0.947; p < 0.00). It is concluded that notwithstanding the variety of approaches used for dietary survey data in the EU, the present data supports using a standardized approach to food portion size quantification for food labelling in the EU.

Introduction Physical inactivity has been estimated to be responsible for more than 5.3 million deaths worldwide [1]. Moreover, among European men and women, approximately 7.3% of all deaths in 2008 might be attributable to inactivity compared with 3.7% to obesity [2] and there is strong evidence to suggest that even small increases in physical activity (PA) would lower the risk for many non-communicable diseases [1–3]. Yet, levels of PA across populations remain low [4]. To tackle this public health issue, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American College of Sports Medicine produced standardized PA guidelines 20 years ago [5]. Since then, the World Health Organization (WHO), the European Union, and most countries around the world, have included PA guidelines in their health policies. Guidelines for Americans and Europeans have been updated to include recommendations for adolescents and for older adults [6–9]. For adults aged 18–64 years old, the WHO recommends a minimum of 150 min of moderate intensity PA per week, 75 min of vigorous intensity PA or an equivalent amount of moderate and vigorous PA (MVPA) [9]. In 2008, 34.8% of adults 15 years or older were insufficiently active in Europe [4]. Regular surveillance is needed to update these prevalence estimates and to evaluate the effectiveness of PA policies and promotion programs in European countries. In this context, the objective assessment of PA is a key issue. Prevalence of physical inactivity has been mainly derived from self-reported measures such as the Baecke questionnaire [10] or the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) [11]. These questionnaires have been, and still are, widely used due to their simple administration and low cost [12]. However, PA is frequently misreported, which leads to considerable measurement error [13–15]. Accelerometers offer a potential solution because they measure PA objectively. Given that they are small and easy to wear, store data up to several weeks and are acceptable in terms of reliability, these devices are now used increasingly in large studies to assess PA in children, adolescents and adults [16]. Although some European countries have reported adherence to PA guidelines using accelerometers in large cohorts [17–19], comparisons between European countries measured according to the same standardized protocols and concurrently are lacking. Between 2012 and 2014, PA was assessed objectively by accelerometry in the participants of the Food4Me Proof-of-Principle (PoP) study. The Food4Me Study was a web-based randomized controlled trial on personalized nutrition, across seven European countries: Germany, Greece, Ireland, The Netherlands, Poland, Spain and the United Kingdom. The aim of the current paper is to describe and compare PA in adults from these countries, and evaluate adherence to PA guidelines, using baseline data from the Food4Me PoP study.