Content area
Full text
(ProQuest: ... denotes non-US-ASCII text omitted.)
While the wide range of health benefits of physical activity is undisputed in both adults and children, there is a declining trend in physical activity, particularly in developed countries. This has obvious effects on efforts to counteract the obesity pandemic. According to the WHO 2004 report, at least 60 % of the world's population fails to achieve the minimum recommendation of 30 min of moderate-intensity physical activity daily(1). Data from the USA indicate that 61·5 % of children aged 9-13 years do not participate in any organized physical activity during non-school hours and 22·6 % do not engage in any free-time (leisure-time) physical activity(2).
Based on the 1996 WHO report, the level of leisure-time physical activity in the Israeli population is low with about 14 % of the working population reporting participation in leisure-time physical activity more than once weekly(3). In a national survey of time utilization and lifestyle in Israel conducted in 1991-2, 20 % of the population aged 14 years and over participated in leisure-time activity more than once per week (24·6 % of males and 16·5 % of females), which was found to be higher among young people (38 %) than adults (19 %)(3). From a public health perspective it is important to determine the level of physical activity and its determinants in order to provide a theoretical basis for the development of appropriate policies and programmes to enhance health and prevent the many complications attending physical inactivity, especially obesity. Intervention programmes should begin as early as possible and information on health behaviours among children is essential. Since there are many cultural determinants to lifestyle, the Israeli population offers an instructive example on how these may affect health behaviours.
The Israel Ministry of Health performed a national survey among middle- and high-school children, to study health and nutrition status and health behaviours among 11-19-year-olds. Using these data, the present paper describes the sociodemographic distribution of optimal level of physical activity and explores the interrelationships between gender, age, socio-economic status (SES), lifestyle habits and anthropometric measurements (obesity) in relation to participation in physical activity.
Research methods and procedures
Survey population, design...