Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Correlates of objectively measured physical activity in adults and older people: a cross-sectional study of population-based sample of adults and older people living in Norway

  • Original Article
  • Published:
International Journal of Public Health

Abstract

Objectives

The aims of the study were to identify correlates of objectively measured physical activity and to determine whether the explanatory power of the correlates differed with sex, weight status or level of education.

Methods

Physical activity was assessed objectively in 3,867 participants, aged 20–85 years, for a consecutive 7 days using the ActiGraph GT1M activity monitor. Demographic and biological variables and levels of psychological, social environmental and physical environmental correlates were self-reported.

Results

The complete set of correlates explained 18.6 % (p < 0.001) of the variance in overall physical activity. Age and physical activity identity were the most important factors, explaining 4.8 and 3.2 % of the variance, respectively, whereas social environmental and physical environmental correlates did not significantly increase the amount of explained variance. Small interaction effects between demographic and biological variables and the correlates were observed.

Conclusions

Self-efficacy, perceived behavioural control and physical activity identity might be important targets for intervention. Intervention efforts aimed at influencing psychological correlates of physical activity may prove equally effective regardless of sex, weight status and level of education.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Ajzen I, Madden TJ (1986) Prediction of goal directed behavior: attitudes, intentions, and perceived behavioral control. J Exp Soc Psychol 22:453–474

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Anderson DF, Cychosz CM (1995) Exploration of the relationship between exercise behavior and exercise identity. J Sport Behav 18:159–166

    Google Scholar 

  • Bandura A (1997) Self-efficacy: the exercise of control. W.H. Freedman and Company, New York

  • Bandura A (2004) Health promotion by social cognitive means. Health Educ Behav 31:143–164

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bauman AE, Sallis JF, Dzewaltowski DA, Owen N (2002) Toward a better understanding of the influences on physical activity: the role of determinants, correlates, causal variables, mediators, moderators, and confounders. Am J Prev Med 23:5–14

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bauman AE, Reis RS, Sallis JF, Wells JC, Loos RJ, Martin BW (2012) Correlates of physical activity: why are some people physically active and others not? Lancet 380:258–271

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Booth ML, Owen N, Bauman A, Clavisi O, Leslie E (2000) Social-cognitive and perceived environment influences associated with physical activity in older Australians. Prev Med 31:15–22

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bouchard C, Blair SN, Haskell WL (2012) Physical activity and health. Human Kinetics, Champaign

    Google Scholar 

  • Brownson RC, Eyler AA, King AC, Brown DR, Shyu YL, Sallis JF (2000) Patterns and correlates of physical activity among US women 40 years and older. Am J Public Health 90:264–270

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Brownson RC, Baker EA, Housemann RA, Brennan LK, Bacak SJ (2001) Environmental and policy determinants of physical activity in the United States. Am J Public Health 91:1995–2003

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bryan A, Hutchison KE, Seals DR, Allen DL (2007) A transdisciplinary model integrating genetic, physiological, and psychological correlates of voluntary exercise. Health Psychol 26:30–39

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fuchs R, Schwarzer R (1994) Selbstwirksamheit zur sportlichen aktivität: reliabilität und validität eines neuen meßinstruments—Self-efficacy towards physical exercise: reliability and validity of a new instrument. Zeitschrift für Differentielle und Diagnostische Psychologie 15:141–154

    Google Scholar 

  • Hagger MS, Chatzisarantis NLD, Biddle SJ (2002) A meta-analytic review of the theories of reasoned action and planned behavior in physical activity: predictive validity and the contribution of additional variables. J Sport Exerc Psychol 24:3–32

    Google Scholar 

  • Hagstromer M, Troiano RP, Sjostrom M, Berrigan D (2010) Levels and patterns of objectively assessed physical activity—a comparison between Sweden and the United States. Am J Epidemiol 171:1055–1064

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hall KS, McAuley E (2010) Individual, social environmental and physical environmental barriers to achieving 10,000 steps per day among older women. Health Educ Res 25:478–488

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hansen BH, Kolle E, Dyrstad SM, Holme I, Anderssen SA (2012) Accelerometer-determined physical activity in adults and older people. Med Sci Sports Exerc 44:266–272

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Haskell WL, Lee IM, Pate RR, Powell KE, Blair SN, Franklin BA, Macera CA, Heath GW, Thompson PD, Bauman A (2007) Physical activity and public health: updated recommendation for adults from the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Heart Association. Circulation 116:1081–1093

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hill JO (2009) Can a small-changes approach help address the obesity epidemic? A report of the Joint Task Force of the American Society for Nutrition, Institute of Food Technologists, and International Food Information Council. Am J Clin Nutr 89:477–484

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jackson C, Smith RA, Conner M (2003) Applying an extended version of the theory of planned behaviour to physical activity. J Sports Sci 21:119–133

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson MF, Nichols JF, Sallis JF, Calfas KJ, Hovell MF (1998) Interrelationships between physical activity and other health behaviors among University women and men. Prev Med 27:536–544

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • King AC, Castro C, Wilcox S, Eyler AA, Sallis JF, Brownson RC (2000) Personal and environmental factors associated with physical inactivity among different racial-ethnic groups of US middle-aged and older-aged women. Health Psychol 19:354–364

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Levine JA, Schleusner SJ, Jensen MD (2000) Energy expenditure of nonexercise activity. Am J Clin Nutr 72:1451–1454

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lorentzen C, Ommundsen Y, Jenum AK, Holme I (2007a) The “Romsas in Motion” community intervention: program exposure and psychosocial mediated relationships to change in stages of change in physical activity. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act 4:15

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lorentzen CA, Ommundsen Y, Holme I (2007b) Psychosocial correlates of stages of change in physical activity in an adult community sample. Eur J Sports Sci 7:93–106

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Martinez-Gonzalez MA, Martinez JA, Hu FB, Gibney MJ, Kearney J (1999) Physical inactivity, sedentary lifestyle and obesity in the European Union. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord 23:1192–1201

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McClain JJ, Sisson SB, Tudor-Locke C (2007) Actigraph accelerometer interinstrument reliability during free-living in adults. Med Sci Sports Exerc 39:1509–1514

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McLeroy KR, Bibeau D, Steckler A, Glanz K (1988) An ecological perspective on health promotion programs. Health Educ Q 15:351–377

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Norman P, Smith L (1995) The theory of planned behaviour and exercise: an investigation into the role of prior behaviour, behavioural intentions and attitude variability. Eur J Soc Psychol 25:403–415

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Plasqui G, Westerterp KR (2007) Physical activity assessment with accelerometers: an evaluation against doubly labeled water. Obesity (Silver Spring) 15:2371–2379

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Saelens BE, Handy SL (2008) Built environment correlates of walking: a review. Med Sci Sports Exerc 40:S550–S566

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Saelens BE, Sallis JF, Black JB, Chen D (2003) Neighbourhood-based differences in physical activity: an environment scale evaluation. Am J Public Health 93:1552–1558

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sallis JF, Saelens BE (2000) Assessment of physical activity by self-report: status, limitations, and future directions. Res Q Exerc Sport 71:S1–S14

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sallis JF, Haskell WL, Fortmann SP, Vranizan KM, Taylor CB, Solomon DS (1986) Predictors of adoption and maintenance of physical activity in a community sample. Prev Med 15:331–341

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sallis JF, Grossman RM, Pinski RB, Patterson TL, Nader PR (1987) The development of scales to measure social support for diet and exercise behaviors. Prev Med 16:825–836

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sallis JF, Owen N, Fisher EB (2008) Ecological models of health behavior. In: Glanz K, Rimer BK, Viswanath K (eds) Health behavior and health education. Jossey-Bass, San Fransisco, pp 465–486

    Google Scholar 

  • Seefeldt V, Malina RM, Clark MA (2002) Factors affecting levels of physical activity in adults. Sports Med 32:143–168

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sogaard AJ, Selmer R, Bjertness E, Thelle D (2004) The Oslo Health Study: the impact of self-selection in a large, population-based survey. Int J Equity Health 3:3

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Stokols D, Allen J, Bellingham RL (1996) The social ecology of health promotion: implications for research and practice. Am J Health Promot 10:247–251

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Strandhagen E, Berg C, Lissner L, Nunez L, Rosengren A, Toren K, Thelle DS (2010) Selection bias in a population survey with registry linkage: potential effect on socioeconomic gradient in cardiovascular risk. Eur J Epidemiol 25:163–172

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Trost SG, Owen N, Bauman AE, Sallis JF, Brown W (2002) Correlates of adults’ participation in physical activity: review and update. Med Sci Sports Exerc 34:1996–2001

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Van Holle V, Deforche B, Van CJ, Goubert L, Maes L, Van de Weghe N, De Bourdeauij I (2012) Relationship between the physical environment and different domains of physical activity in European adults: a systematic review. BMC Public Health 12:807

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Van Loon AJ, Tijhuis M, Picavet HS, Surtees PG, Ormel J (2003) Survey non-response in the Netherlands: effects on prevalence estimates and associations. Ann Epidemiol 13:105–110

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wendel-Vos W, Droomers M, Kremers S, Brug J, van Lenthe F (2007) Potential environmental determinants of physical activity in adults: a systematic review. Obes Rev 8:425–440

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • World Health Organization. Obesity: preventing and managing the global epidemic. Report of a WHO consultation (2000) Geneva. World Health Organization, Switzerland

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors thank all the test personnel at the ten institutions involved in the study, for their work during the data collection: Finnmark University College, Hedmark University College, NTNU Social Research AS, Sogn og Fjordane University College, University of Agder, University of Nordland, University of Stavanger, Telemark University College, Vestfold University College, and Norwegian School of Sport Sciences.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sports Medicine, Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, Ullevaal Stadion, P.O. Box 4014, 0806, Oslo, Norway

    Bjørge Herman Hansen, Ingar Holme, Elin Kolle & Sigmund Alfred Anderssen

  2. Department of Coaching and Psychology, Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, Ullevaal Stadion, P.O. Box 4014, 0806, Oslo, Norway

    Yngvar Ommundsen

Authors
  1. Bjørge Herman Hansen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Yngvar Ommundsen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Ingar Holme
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Elin Kolle
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Sigmund Alfred Anderssen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Bjørge Herman Hansen.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Hansen, B.H., Ommundsen, Y., Holme, I. et al. Correlates of objectively measured physical activity in adults and older people: a cross-sectional study of population-based sample of adults and older people living in Norway. Int J Public Health 59, 221–230 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00038-013-0472-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00038-013-0472-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation