Weight status and perception barriers to healthy physical activity and diet behavior

• Published in: International Journal of Obesity 2008-02, Vol.32 (2), p.343-352
• Main Authors: Atlantis, E, Barnes, E.H, Ball, K
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; adults; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Australia; Biological and medical sciences; Body weight; Cross-Sectional Studies; Diet; eating habits; Epidemiology; Evaluation; Exercise; Exercise - physiology; Exercise - psychology; Female; Food and nutrition; Fruit; Fruits; fruits (food); Gender; General aspects; Health aspects; Health Behavior; Health Promotion and Disease Prevention; health status; Humans; Internal Medicine; Leisure Activities; Life Style; Male; Management; Medical sciences; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Metabolic Diseases; Methods; Middle Aged; Miscellaneous; Motor Activity - physiology; Nutritional Status; Obesity; Obesity - etiology; original-article; Overweight - etiology; Overweight persons; Perceptions; perceptions (cognitive); physical activity; Polls & surveys; Public Health; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Risk Factors; Self Concept; Vegetables; Womens health
• ISSN: 0307-0565; 1476-5497
• DOI: 10.1038/sj.ijo.0803707

Background: Physical inactivity and insufficient fruit and vegetable consumption are key risk factors for obesity and noncommunicable diseases. Weight perceptions may affect physical activity and diet behaviors. We report current prevalence estimates of Australian adults meeting recommended levels of leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) (⩾150 min/week or more of at least moderate-intensity physical activity (including walking) on ⩾5 days/week) and fruit (⩾2 servings/day) and vegetable (⩾5 servings/day) consumption for health benefits, by weight status and perceptions. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey analysis of data for 16 314 adults from the Australian National Health Survey 2004–2005. All variables were collected by self-report. Weighted estimates were age- and gender-specific, and data were analyzed using logistic regression with acceptable weight referent categories, adjusting for covariates. Results: Among acceptable, overweight and obese adults, the prevalence of LTPA was 26.8, 26.1 and 19.3% for men, and 27.7, 23.7 and 19.7% for women, respectively. Approximately 55 and 15% of adults consumed sufficient fruit servings/day and vegetable servings/day, respectively, and less than 5% of adults met combined LTPA and diet guidelines. Overweight decreased the odds ratio for LTPA among women but not men, and obesity decreased the odds ratio for LTPA among both men and women. Overweight perception conferred odds ratios of 0.83 (95% CI 0.70–0.97, P =0.021) for overweight men, and of 0.74 (95% CI 0.62–0.88, P =0.001) and 0.69 (95% CI 0.59–0.80, P