National Physical Activity Guidelines (national + physical_activity_guideline)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Physical activity recommendations for older Australians

AUSTRALASIAN JOURNAL ON AGEING, Issue 2 2010
Jane Sims
Aim:, The aim of this research was to produce evidence-based recommendations on physical activity designed to improve and maintain the health of older Australians. Methods:, The authors reviewed existing guidelines and consensus statements, systematic reviews, meta-analyses and research articles. Draft recommendations were circulated to stakeholder agencies and to an expert advisory group. Final recommendations were then forwarded to the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing for Ministerial approval. Results:, The physical activity recommendations for older Australians complement the current National Physical Activity Guidelines for adults and the American College of Sports Medicine and American Heart Association recommendations for older adults. The recommendations provide advice developed specifically for older Australians. Conclusion:, Although the recommendations may be manifested in different ways, according to specific populations or settings, they apply to older people across all levels of health and have application to community dwelling people and those in residential care accommodation. [source]


Developing National Physical Activity Guidelines for Australians

AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH, Issue 6 2001
Garry Egger
The process and outcome of developing National Physical Activity Guidelines for Australians is described. The guidelines provide a means of incorporating new data on physical activity into public health education. [source]


Physical activity trends in Queensland (2002 to 2008): are women becoming more active than men?

AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH, Issue 3 2010
Corneel Vandelanotte
Abstract Objective: Regular monitoring of population levels of physical activity is an effective way to assess change over time towards meeting public health recommendations. The objective of this study was to determine physical activity trends in Central Queensland over the period 2002 to 2008. Methods: Data was obtained from the Central Queensland Social Survey (CQSS) conducted annually from 2002 to 2008. A total sample of 8,936 adults aged 18 and over participated in seven cross-sectional surveys. Physical activity was measured using the Active Australia Questionnaire. Binary logistic regression was used to examine trends in sufficient physical activity. Results: Averaged over all survey years 46.5% of study participants met national physical activity guidelines. A small significant upward trend was found for meeting physical activity recommendations across all years (OR=1.03; 95%CI=1.01,1.05), indicating that the odds of meeting the guidelines increased by an average of 3% per year from 2002 to 2008. Slightly more men than women met the activity guidelines (ns); however a significant positive trend in achieving sufficient activity levels was present in women only (4%). Conclusions and Implications: Although an increasing trend for sufficient physical activity was observed, overall physical activity levels in Central Queensland remain suboptimal and more efforts to increase physical activity are needed. The gender differences in physical activity trends indicate that men and women might need to be targeted differently in health promotion messages. The continuous monitoring of population levels of physical activity in Australia, which allow both state specific and international comparisons, is needed. [source]