Comparison of the relationship between key demographic features and physical activity levels across 22 countries
Abstract Background The present study aims to examine global trends in physical activity levels and explore the potential influence of demographic factors on physical activity participation. Methods Using data from the Global Flourishing Study (GFS), which includes 202,898 participants from 22 geogr...
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BMC
2025-07-01
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| Series: | BMC Public Health |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-23594-3 |
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| author | Chung Gun Lee Elizabeth Kwon Jason Paltzer Chukwuemeka N. Okafor Tyler J. VanderWeele Byron R. Johnson Joo Hee Choi |
| author_facet | Chung Gun Lee Elizabeth Kwon Jason Paltzer Chukwuemeka N. Okafor Tyler J. VanderWeele Byron R. Johnson Joo Hee Choi |
| author_sort | Chung Gun Lee |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background The present study aims to examine global trends in physical activity levels and explore the potential influence of demographic factors on physical activity participation. Methods Using data from the Global Flourishing Study (GFS), which includes 202,898 participants from 22 geographically and culturally diverse countries, we assessed the average number of days of physical activity across various demographic groups (age, gender, marital status, employment, religious service attendance, education, immigration status) and across different countries. Results While patterns varied across the 22 countries, certain consistent trends overall emerged. Physical activity levels were higher among individuals aged 60–69 compared to younger and older age groups, men compared to women, and those in domestic partnerships compared to single individuals. Higher activity levels were also observed among the self-employed, those with higher educational attainment, frequent religious service attendees, and individuals born in the country of residence compared to immigrants. Notably, Egypt reported the lowest average number of physical activity days, whereas the Philippines reported the highest. Conclusions These results contribute to a deeper understanding of the sociodemographic disparities in physical activity participation. By documenting physical activity patterns across key demographic groups and countries worldwide, this study provides valuable insights into the social determinants of physical activity behavior. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-1cf4e92009af46ba8db8548b9fcff768 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1471-2458 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Public Health |
| spelling | doaj-art-1cf4e92009af46ba8db8548b9fcff7682025-08-20T03:06:43ZengBMCBMC Public Health1471-24582025-07-0125111010.1186/s12889-025-23594-3Comparison of the relationship between key demographic features and physical activity levels across 22 countriesChung Gun Lee0Elizabeth Kwon1Jason Paltzer2Chukwuemeka N. Okafor3Tyler J. VanderWeele4Byron R. Johnson5Joo Hee Choi6Department of Physical Education, College of Education 71-1, Seoul National UniversityDepartment of Public Health, Baylor UniversityThe Meros Center, Wisconsin Lutheran CollegeDepartment of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Long School of Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center San AntonioDepartments of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public HealthInstitute for Studies of Religion & Institute for Global Human Flourishing, Baylor UniversityDepartment of Physical Education, College of Education 71-1, Seoul National UniversityAbstract Background The present study aims to examine global trends in physical activity levels and explore the potential influence of demographic factors on physical activity participation. Methods Using data from the Global Flourishing Study (GFS), which includes 202,898 participants from 22 geographically and culturally diverse countries, we assessed the average number of days of physical activity across various demographic groups (age, gender, marital status, employment, religious service attendance, education, immigration status) and across different countries. Results While patterns varied across the 22 countries, certain consistent trends overall emerged. Physical activity levels were higher among individuals aged 60–69 compared to younger and older age groups, men compared to women, and those in domestic partnerships compared to single individuals. Higher activity levels were also observed among the self-employed, those with higher educational attainment, frequent religious service attendees, and individuals born in the country of residence compared to immigrants. Notably, Egypt reported the lowest average number of physical activity days, whereas the Philippines reported the highest. Conclusions These results contribute to a deeper understanding of the sociodemographic disparities in physical activity participation. By documenting physical activity patterns across key demographic groups and countries worldwide, this study provides valuable insights into the social determinants of physical activity behavior.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-23594-3Physical activity behaviorDemographic factorsCountry differencesMeta-analysis |
| spellingShingle | Chung Gun Lee Elizabeth Kwon Jason Paltzer Chukwuemeka N. Okafor Tyler J. VanderWeele Byron R. Johnson Joo Hee Choi Comparison of the relationship between key demographic features and physical activity levels across 22 countries BMC Public Health Physical activity behavior Demographic factors Country differences Meta-analysis |
| title | Comparison of the relationship between key demographic features and physical activity levels across 22 countries |
| title_full | Comparison of the relationship between key demographic features and physical activity levels across 22 countries |
| title_fullStr | Comparison of the relationship between key demographic features and physical activity levels across 22 countries |
| title_full_unstemmed | Comparison of the relationship between key demographic features and physical activity levels across 22 countries |
| title_short | Comparison of the relationship between key demographic features and physical activity levels across 22 countries |
| title_sort | comparison of the relationship between key demographic features and physical activity levels across 22 countries |
| topic | Physical activity behavior Demographic factors Country differences Meta-analysis |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-23594-3 |
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