Physical Activity Levels and Anthropometric Indices in Middle-Aged Women

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Introduction: physical inactivity and sedentary behaviors are the fourth leading cause of death in the world and the cause of non-communicable diseases. This study was done to determine the level of physical activity and anthropometric indices among middle-aged women.  Method: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 110 middle-aged women in 2018. Cases were selected randomly through cluster sampling method. Data were collected based on a self-reported questionnaire containing demographic information (age, education, occupation, socioeconomic status, marital status, and number of children) and the international physical activity questionnaire. Data were analyzed by SPSS 23 and Kolmogorov-Smirnov and Spearman’s correlation tests. A P-value less than 0.01 was considered as significant and p-value less than 0.05 was also synchronous.

Results: among the participants, 34.5% were inactive and 54.5% had poor activity. Moderate activity amount was 7.3% and vigorous activity was 3.6% that was the minimum amount. Physical activity levels of menopause and premenopausal women showed a difference (p=0.001). Women with less BMI were more active. This confirms the relationship between BMI and PA. Conclusion: physical activity should be improved among middle-aged women who need positive effects of physical activity to increase health and well-being.