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Physical activity, obesity, and educational attainment in 50- to 70-year-old adults

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Abstract

Aim

The purpose of the study is to investigate, in subpopulations with varying levels of education, firstly, the extent to which older adults with an otherwise sedentary lifestyle perform simple everyday physical activities such as cycling for transport or taking a walk, and the extent to which older adults perform everyday physical activities in addition to exercise; and secondly, to explore correlations between physical activity and obesity.

Methods

The study is based on a representative, Baden-Württemberg State Foundation-funded study in 50- to 70-year-old residents of Baden-Württemberg (n = 2,002).

Results

Subjects who say they ride a bike for transport or take a walk are significantly more likely to exercise than subjects who do not walk or cycle regularly. This holds even after controlling for sociodemographic and lifestyle-relevant variables. However, the correlation between walking and exercise, and the positive correlation between walking and obesity, is retained only for subjects with a low level of education. Both for subjects with a low level of education and for subjects with a high level of education, multivariate analysis discloses a negative correlation between regular cycling and obesity.

Conclusions

People who do not exercise regularly are also less active on a day-to-day basis and are less likely to take a walk or ride a bike for transport. Given the health-preserving effects attributed to leisure-time physical activity from a biological and medical point of view, it is particularly important to encourage older adults and disadvantaged sectors of the population to be more physically active.

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Notes

  1. There is no uniform definition for calculating response rate (Schnell 1997: 19). In general, when calculating response rates, a distinction is made between sample-neutral and non-sample-neutral noncoverage. In this study, neutral noncoverage was defined as all instances of noncoverage where contact was not established despite achieving the maximum number of calls. Households with no 50- to 70-year-old target persons, households where the target person does not speak German, households with a non-Baden Württemberg phone number, and numbers used for technical purposes only (fax, modem) were classified as neutral noncoverage. Refusals and discontinuations were counted as systematic noncoverage.

  2. This problem does not apply to the same extent for surveys among the general over-18 residential population, because even if the phone call is terminated immediately by the contact person, it can be assumed that a target person belongs to the household and the noncoverage is systematic in nature.

  3. Although additional physical activity of any frequency may have health benefits (cf. Blair and Conelly 1996), more recent recommendations point to a higher cutoff point for frequency and intensity. For example, a Robert Koch Institute recommendation states: “A half hour of exercise at least 3 days a week has demonstrably positive effects on health” (Mensink 2003: 6).

  4. Exercise in the respondents’ definition of the term. There was no subsequent data cleaning to exclude exercise types/activities involving very little activity (e.g. bowling).

  5. The school forms in the three-tiered German secondary school system are Hauptschule, Realschule, and Gymnasium (9, 10, and 12–13 years of education, respectively). Gymnasium graduates pass an exam called Abitur which qualifies them to enter university, Hauptschule and Realschule qualifications are vocational rather than academic.

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Acknowledgments

The “Living an active life—age and aging in Baden-Württemberg” project focuses on the leisure-time physical activity and health biographies, health behavior, and lifestyle of the 50- to 70-year-old age group. The study is conducted on behalf of the Baden-Württemberg State Foundation, with funding in place for the period from September 2005 to August 2007. Project contributors are: Prof. Dr. Klaus-Peter Brinkhoff, University of Stuttgart; Prof. Dr. Ansgar Thiel, University of Tübingen; Prof. Dr. Thomas Klein, University of Heidelberg; Dr. Uwe Gomolinsky, University of Stuttgart; Dr. Monique Zimmermann-Stenzel, University of Heidelberg; Christina Huy, University of Stuttgart; Simone Becker, University of Heidelberg.

Conflict of interest

The authors confirm that there are no relevant associations that might pose a conflict of interest.

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  1. Stiftung Orthopädische Universitäts-Klinik Heidelberg, Forschung, Schlierbacher Landstr. 200a, 69118, Heidelberg, Germany

    Simone Becker & Monique Zimmermann-Stenzel

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  1. Simone Becker
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  2. Monique Zimmermann-Stenzel
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Correspondence to Simone Becker.

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Becker, S., Zimmermann-Stenzel, M. Physical activity, obesity, and educational attainment in 50- to 70-year-old adults. J Public Health 17, 145–153 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10389-008-0222-9

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