Aim of the research

The evaluation of the prevalence of sedentary life among inhabitants of the city of Kielce, considering gender, education, body mass index (BMI), and civilization diseases.

Material and methods

The analysis included data of 4,777 participants (mean age, 56.31) from the PONS-Healthy Kielce study. On the basis of a study questionnaire, the time spent in a sitting position was calculated. Additionally, the relationship between the amount of time spent sitting and gender, education, BMI, and the occurrence of civilization diseases was analyzed.

Results

Significant associations were reported between sedentary lifestyle and gender within a male population of the study. With the increase of participants educational level, more time was spent sitting on weekdays, whereas less time was spent on watching TV. With increasing level of education, the amount of total and average sitting time and total sitting time including travel time, increased. A significant relationship was noted between the amount of time spent sitting and BMI, and the occurrence of diseases and multiple morbidities.

Conclusions

Men more often than women prefer sedentary lifestyle. Inactive lifestyle is related to education, the occurrence of diseases, and to a number of co-existing diseases. Moreover, it disturbs normal body weight and has a negative effect on health. There is a need to implement prevention programs in order to combat obesity and promote physical activity among residents of Kielce.