Proportion of adults achieving sufficient physical activity increases in South Australia, 1998 – 2010

BACKGROUND: The South Australian Department of Health has administered the Active Australia Survey triennially since 1998 to assess physical activity levels in the South Australian adult population. Survey findings may reflect the impact of health messages on the population and provide evidence to inform public health policy. This study analyzed the data from the South Australian Active Australia Surveys from 1998 to 2010 to quantify trends in the physical activity patterns of the total population and groups within the population over this period. METHODS: The study used a retrospective analysis of the SA Health Active Australia Surveys of 1998, 2001, 2004, 2007, and 2010. Data were age-adjusted to the Australian 2001 Population Census. Proportions reporting sufficient physical activity for health benefits (≥ 150 min/week) were calculated by year of survey, and according to the following variables: gender, age group, area, educational level, income bracket, and body mass index (BMI). Population proportions statistics were used to determine the significance of the changes in levels of physical activity between 1998 and 2010. RESULTS: The main finding was a significant increase in the overall proportion of the population reporting sufficient physical activity. However, the changes were not uniform across categories. Differences in proportions reporting sufficient physical activity appear to have narrowed within the categories of gender and BMI but have widened within the categories of educational level and income bracket. Changes were relatively consistent across age and geographic location. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that government programs to increase engagement in regular physical activity have been effective in some groups within the total population. They provide strong evidence to support the need for better ways of increasing physical activity levels and thus improving health outcomes for disadvantaged groups in the South Australian population.