Physical Activity Trends in Korean Adults from Korea National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey from 2014 to 2019

The current study aimed to examine the adherence trend for aerobic and muscle-strengthening physical activity (PA) guidelines among Korean adults using the Korea National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey from 2014 to 2019. Korean adults (N = 2642) were included in the current study to examine the trend of PA adherence from 2014 to 2019. The PA guidelines are: (a) aerobic activity (a minimum of 150 min moderate to vigorous PA weekly) and (b) muscle-strengthening activity (a minimum of two days weekly). Self-report questionnaires in the survey measured both activities. The adherence to PA guidelines by survey year was examined using a multivariable logistic regression analysis adjusted for covariates. There was a significant decreasing trend in which the adherence rate to aerobic PA guidelines changed from 57.0% in 2014 to 45.6% in 2019 (p < 0.001). On the other hand, the trend in adherence rate to muscle-strengthening activity was not significant (p = 0.976). The adherence rate to muscle-strengthening activity guideline was slightly increased but still low from 20.8% to 23.3% during 2014–2019. The aerobic PA guidelines are significantly decreasing, and more than half of the Korean adults in 2019 have not followed the guidelines. In addition, there has been a slight increase in muscle-strengthening activity; however, the adherence rate is meager. Therefore, this study suggests that Korean adults’ aerobic and muscle-strengthening PA participation is necessary for their low adherence rate and decline tendency.