Physical inactivity and related factors in an adult Tehranian population [Tehran lipid and glucose study]

Physical activities represent an independent risk factor for a number of chronic diseases. The aim of this study was to assess physical inactivity in a sample of Tehranian adults. We selected 7285 TLGS participants [>/= 20 years], who had completed physical activity questionnaires between 2002-2004. Leisure time physical activity level was assessed using the modifiable Activity Questionnaire [MAQ], with each activity being weighted by its relative intensity, referred to as a Metabolic Equivalent [MET]. Subjects were asked to report the activities they had participated in during past 12 months and to estimate the frequency and duration for each leisure time activity indentified and were categorized into the active and inactive groups. The overall prevalence of inactivity was 69.8% and only 30.2% [95%CI=27.2-33.1%] of males and 30.3% [95%CI=27.7-32.8%] of females were considered active. In males, the prevalence of inactivity increased with age and the highest rate of physical inactivity was observed in the 40-49 year group. There was a statistically significant decrease in leisure time physical activity level [LTPA] with increasing body mass index, and smoking and hours of work. A positive association was observed between LTPA and high educational levels in males. Moreover, a statistically significant difference was found between the physical activity and occupations between men and women [p<0.05]. Findings of the present study showed that a high prevalence of physical inactivity among Tehranian adults, raising concerns about public health, and necessitating health policies encouraging the population to be more active

[Prevalence trends in adolescent overweight and hypertension in the three cross-sectional surveys of Tehran lipid and glucose study, 1999-2008]

This study aims at determining the trends of the prevalence of overweight and hypertension among adolescents in three cross-sectional surveys of Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study [TLGS]. We analyzed the data of adolescents, aged 10-19 years, obtained in the three surveys of the TLGS; survey 1, 1999-2001 [n=3010, 47.2% boys]; survey 2, 2002-5 [n=1107, 48.4% boys], and survey 3, 2006-8 [n=1090, 46.6% boys]. At risk for overweight and overweight were defined according to Iranian BMI percentiles. Hypertension was defined according to the fourth report on the Diagnosis, Evaluation and Treatment of High Blood Pressure [BP], American Academy of Pediatrics and charts of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Mean BMI of adolescents increased from 20.1 [4.3] in survey 1 to 21.6[4.7] kg/m2 in survey 3[P<0.001]. The adjusted prevalence of at risk for overweight, in the first and third surveys of study increased respectively from 12.8% to 18.5% [P<0.001] and the prevalence of overweight increased from 6.4 to 12.7% respectively [P<0.001]. The mean systolic BP and diastolic BP decreased from 105[11], 71.4[9.2] in the first survey to 100[12], 65.4[9.8] mmHg in the third, respectively [P<0.001]. The prevalence of high systolic BP and diastolic BP decreased from 3 and 7.9% in 1999-2001 to 1.3 and 3% in 2006-8, respectively. The age adjusted means of SBP and DBP increased respectively in underweight, normal, at risk for overweight and overweight adolescents [P<0.01]. The increment of [overweight prevalence] was greater than [at risk for overweight]. The prevalence of high systolic and diastolic BP decreased over the three surveys