physics

Physical activity epidemiology

Physical activity epidemiology is a physics topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Physical activity epidemiology rather than just read about it. In short: Physical activity epidemiology is the study, in human populations, of the frequencies, distributions, and dynamics of physical activity or inactivity. Physical activity is defined as any voluntary body movement requiring energy expenditure produced by skeletal muscles.

Key takeaways

Physical activity epidemiology belongs to physics; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Physical activity epidemiology to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Physical activity epidemiology from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Physical activity epidemiology is the study, in human populations, of the frequencies, distributions, and dynamics of physical activity or inactivity. Physical activity is defined as any voluntary body movement requiring energy expenditure produced by skeletal muscles. Insufficient physical activity is defined as physical inactivity. Sufficient physical activity is defined as adults having at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity, or at least 75 minutes of vigorous physical activity per week, or any combination of the two. Insufficient physical activity would hence be defined as the inability to meet the aforementioned WHO recommendations. Insufficient physical activity has been linked to several chronic diseases and premature deaths as compared to sufficient physical activity.

Globally, physical inactivity was seen in 23% of men and 32% of women over 18. Physical inactivity levels have remained relatively constant throughout the years, with only a 1% decrease from 2001 to 2016. As of 2016, Kuwait had the highest prevalence of physical inactivity of 67%, while Uganda had the lowest prevalence of physical inactivity of 5.5%, i.e. Uganda was the most physically active country, and Kuwait is the least physically active country in the world. Since physical activity levels can be measured through many means, including questionnaires, accelerometers, pedometers, calorimetry and direct observation, statistics on the epidemiology of physical activity vary between sources. Survey questionnaires are the most frequently used method of measuring physical activity worldwide, making it easier to compare across countries to obtain physical activity epidemiology.

Africa and the Mediterranean African countries generally have higher levels of physical activity compared to other continents. Countries in Sub-Saharan Africa have a higher prevalence of sufficient physical activity than the Mediterranean. The prevalence of physical activity in Sub-Saharan African countries is 78.6% overall, with 82.1% and 75.2% prevalence of sufficient physical activity in adult men and women respectively. The prevalence of sufficient physical activity in Mediterranean countries is 61.2%, with 74.1% and 60.1% prevalence of sufficient physical activity in adult males and females respectively.

Algeria The prevalence of physical activity in Algerian adults is 66%. The prevalence of sufficient physical activity in adult Algerian males and females is 72% and 59% respectively. In 2011, it was found that 20.7% of Algerian adolescents aged 13–15 were sufficiently physically active, following the standard of having at least 60 minutes of physical activity per day for 5 or more days a week. Algerian boys and Algerian girls had 31.5% and 11.0% prevalence of sufficient physical activity.

Ghana 84% of Ghana adults were sufficiently physically active, and men and women had 87% and 82% prevalence of sufficient physical activity respectively.

Kenya 81% of Kenyan adults were sufficiently physically active, and men and women had 83% and 79% prevalence of sufficient physical activity respectively.

Nigeria The prevalence of sufficient physical activity in Nigeria is 78%, with 79% and 76% prevalence of sufficient physical activity in adult males and females respectively.

South Africa The prevalence of sufficient physical activity in South Africa is 53%, with 58% and 43% prevalence of sufficient physical activity in adult males and females respectively.

Uganda Uganda is the most physically active country of the world, with 94.5% physical activity as of 2016.

Asia In general, Asian countries have decreasing prevalence of activity due to mechanization of work and transport and the spread of sedentary lifestyle. The prevalence of obesity and physical inactivity are both generally high in Asia at around 60%, with Saudi Arabia with the lowest physical activity in the world at 39%.

China Physical activity prevalence in China is at 76%, with 78% in men and 78% in women. Statistically recorder physical activity of men is usually higher than that of women, but the data shows similar activity level between two sexes in China. This is possibly due to the family culture, which the wife is responsible for domestic work, accounting for a certain level of physical activity of female in China.

Japan The prevalence of physical activity in Japan is 66%, with 69% in males and 64% in females.

South Korea The prevalence of sufficient physical activity in Korea is 67%, with 71% in males and 62% in females.

Nepal In 2003, physical activity prevalence in adults was 25.5% in males and 8.8% in females. The level of physical activity increased rapidly from 2003 to 2016; as of 2016, Nepal had the highest physical activity among all Asian countries at 86.6%.

Saudi Arabia The prevalence of physical activity in Saudi Arabia is 54.1% for male and 34.9% for females.

Europe The prevalence of physical activity in Europe is 76.6%, with 78% prevalence in males and 73.3% prevalence in females. Moldova has the highest physical activity of 88.5%, and Serbia has the lowest prevalence at 60.5%.

England 59% of the population of England is sufficiently physically active, with 67% of men and 55% of women being physically active.

Finland 77% of the Finnish population is physically active, with 78% and 75% of sufficiently active men and women respectively.

France In France, 76% of the population is physically active. 81% of men and 72% of women are sufficiently physically active.

Germany The prevalence of sufficient physical activity in Germany is 79%, with 81% among men and 77% among women.

Moldova The prevalence of physical activity in Moldova is the highest, at 87.5%, with 88% prevalence in men and 87% prevalence in women. The World Health Organisation has been cooperating with schools in Moldova by teaching school children about the importance of adequate physical activity.

The Netherlands In the Netherlands, 61% of the population is physically active, with 63% of men and 60% of women being sufficiently physically active.

Serbia In Serbia, the overall prevalence of physical activity is 60.5%, with 67% and 56% of sufficiently active men and women respectively.

Latin America and the Caribbean The prevalence of sufficient physical activity in Latin America and the Caribbean is 60.9%, with 65.7% activity in males and 56.3% activity in females. Dominica has the highest prevalence of physical activity at 78.4%, and Brazil has the lowest physical activity at 53%.

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Physical activity epidemiology

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Physical activity epidemiology claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In physics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Physical activity epidemiology before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Physical activity epidemiology ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Physical activity epidemiology

In research: Physical activity epidemiology appears in physics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Physical activity epidemiology in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Physical activity epidemiology is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Epidemiology, Physical exercise, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Physical activity epidemiology outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Physical activity epidemiology in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Physical activity epidemiology means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Physical activity epidemiology out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Physical activity epidemiology in simple terms?

Why does Physical activity epidemiology matter?

Because it connects several physics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Physical activity epidemiology?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Physical activity epidemiology.