A cross-sectional examination of sociodemographic factors associated with meeting physical activity recommendations in overweight and obese US adults.

OBJECTIVE

Obesity has reached epidemic proportions in the US. Physical activity is an important component of obesity reduction, but little is known about contemporary exercise levels among overweight/obese American adults. In this study, we compared current physical activity levels in overweight and obese US adults to those of normal weight individuals as well as ascertained which sociodemographic factors influence the meeting of physical activity recommendations in these three groups.

METHODS

We used national data from 2015 and 2017 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System surveys (n=726,075). Bivariate analyses were conducted to determine unadjusted physical activity levels in normal weight, overweight, and obese adults. We fit multinomial logistic models to identify associations between sociodemographic factors and meeting physical activity recommendations in our study population.

RESULTS

Around 45% of overweight and 57% of obese adults failed to meet physical activity guidelines compared to 41% of normal weight adults. Age, sex, and race were significantly associated with physical activity levels for both overweight and obese adults. In overweight and obese individuals, associations between sociodemographic factors and physical activity were more similar between the two comparisons of insufficiently active (IA) versus active (A)/highly active (HA) and A versus HA but quite different to those in the inactive (IN) versus IA/A/HA comparison.

CONCLUSIONS

Future physical activity interventions should be aimed at increasing the number of overweight and obese US adults who meet physical activity guidelines as well as targeted towards specific sociodemographic groups within the overweight/obese population with low exercise levels.