Status and Trends of Physical Activity Surveillance, Policy, and Research in 164 Countries: Findings From the Global Observatory for Physical Activity-GoPA! 2015 and 2020 Surveys.

BACKGROUND: Physical activity (PA) surveillance, policy, and research efforts need to be periodically appraised to gain insight into national and global capacities for PA promotion. The aim of this paper was to assess the status and trends in PA surveillance, policy, and research in 164 countries. METHODS: We used data from the Global Observatory for Physical Activity (GoPA!) 2015 and 2020 surveys. Comprehensive searches were performed for each country to determine the level of development of their PA surveillance, policy, and research, and the findings were verified by the GoPA! Country Contacts. Trends were analyzed based on the data available for both survey years. RESULTS: The global 5-year progress in all 3 indicators was modest, with most countries either improving or staying at the same level. PA surveillance, policy, and research improved or remained at a high level in 48.1%, 40.6%, and 42.1% of the countries, respectively. PA surveillance, policy, and research scores decreased or remained at a low level in 8.3%, 15.8%, and 28.6% of the countries, respectively. The highest capacity for PA promotion was found in Europe, the lowest in Africa and low- and lower-middle-income countries. Although a large percentage of the world's population benefit from at least some PA policy, surveillance, and research efforts in their countries, 49.6 million people are without PA surveillance, 629.4 million people are without PA policy, and 108.7 million live in countries without any PA research output. A total of 6.3 billion people or 88.2% of the world's population live in countries where PA promotion capacity should be significantly improved. CONCLUSION: Despite PA is essential for health, there are large inequalities between countries and world regions in their capacity to promote PA. Coordinated efforts are needed to reduce the inequalities and improve the global capacity for PA promotion.

Adherence to the Japanese Physical Activity Guideline During Early Childhood Among Rural Preschoolers: A Cross-sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: Physical activity (PA) guidelines for early childhood have been established worldwide, and adherence to PA guidelines has been utilized to assess the effectiveness of policies regarding PA promotion. Although there is a Japanese PA guideline for preschoolers, little is known about adherence to this recommendation. This study examined and compared proportions of meeting the Japanese PA guideline among preschoolers. METHODS: Participants comprised 821 children aged 3-6 years from all 21 preschools and childcare facilities (hereafter collectively "preschools") within Unnan City, Shimane Prefecture, Japan. Data on PA levels were collected through a parent-report questionnaire in accordance with the Japanese PA guideline. This guideline recommends that preschoolers perform PA for at least 60 minutes every day. Analyses included descriptive statistics, chi-squared, and Mann-Whitney's tests to compare adherence to the PA guideline. RESULTS: Data of 441 participants from 20 preschools were analyzed. Of these, 292 (66.2%) preschoolers met the PA guideline. Boys (70.2%) showed a significantly higher proportion of meeting the PA guideline than girls (61.2%; P = 0.048). Proportions of meeting the PA guideline among preschool grades were not statistically different. Prevalence rates of meeting the PA guideline among 20 preschools considerably varied from 14.3% to 100% (P = 0.007). CONCLUSIONS: Two-thirds of preschoolers met the Japanese PA guideline, while adherence to PA recommendations differed between genders. Moreover, there were distinct variations of adherence to PA guideline among preschools. Possible determinants that cause the differences in adherence to the PA guideline at the individual and preschool-levels should be further evaluated.

Sekentei and objectively-measured physical activity among older Japanese people: a cross-sectional analysis from the NEIGE study.

BACKGROUND: The concept of sekentei (social appearance), defined as sensitivity about one's reputation, reflects Japanese behavioral principles and involves pressure to conform to social norms, particularly among people living in rural areas. However, data regarding the relationship between sekentei and health behaviors are sparse. In this study, we examined the relationship between sekentei and objectively-measured physical activity among community-dwelling older people in Japan. METHODS: We used data from the Neuron to Environmental Impact across Generations Study (NEIGE Study), which is a prospective cohort study of randomly-sampled community-dwelling individuals aged 65-84 years living in Tokamachi City, Niigata Prefecture, Japan. The baseline survey was conducted in 2017 and included 527 independent older people. We analyzed the baseline data cross-sectionally. To measure activity behaviors, participants wore a tri-axial accelerometer for seven consecutive days. Physically active individuals were defined based on the World Health Organization recommendation guidelines on physical activity. Sekentei was measured using the 12-item Sekentei Scale (score range: 12-60). RESULTS: After excluding 15 people for whom we had three or fewer days of valid accelerometer-assessed activity data, we used data from 512 participants in our analysis (average 73.4 years old; 46.9% men). Physically active individuals made up 22.3% of the sample, and the proportion of physically active men was higher than that of women. A logistic regression analysis showed that higher levels of sekentei were inversely associated with physical activity after adjusting for demographic factors, socioeconomic status, and health conditions (odds ratio [95% confidence interval]: 0.58 [0.36-0.91] for every 10-point increase in the Sekentei Scale score). This association was stronger in women than in men (0.66 [0.34-1.26] for men and 0.51 [0.26-1.00] for women). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that an individual's sense of sekentei may be an important socio-cultural factor affecting their level of physical activity. Culturally appropriate approaches may be beneficial in addressing insufficient physical activity in older adults.