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4363.0.55.001 - Australian Health Survey: Users' Guide, 2011-13  
Latest ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 07/06/2013   
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EXERCISE


Definition

This topic covers three components of physical activity:

  • exercise undertaken for fitness, recreation or sport during the week prior to interview;
  • walking for transport in the week prior to the interview; and
  • time spent sitting during work and when at leisure on a usual day.

For the purposes of the survey, moderate exercise was defined as exercise undertaken for fitness, recreation or sport that caused a moderate increase in the heart rate or breathing of the respondent. Vigorous exercise was defined as exercise undertaken for fitness, recreation or sport that caused a large increase in the respondent's heart rate or breathing.

The application of these definitions reflected the respondent's perception of moderate or vigorous exercise or walking, and the purpose of that activity. Responses may have varied according to the type of activity performed, the intensity with which it was performed, the level of fitness of the participant, and their general health and other characteristics (e.g. age). For example, some respondents may consider a game of golf to be moderate exercise while others may consider it walking. Information was not recorded in the survey about the type of activities undertaken.


Population

Information was collected for all persons aged 15 years and over in the NHS survey.


Methodology

The National Physical Activity Guidelines for Australian adults recommend at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity on most, preferably all, days. To gauge levels of activity, respondents were asked a series of questions about the exercise they undertook in the last week, expressed in the three categories of walking, moderate exercise and vigorous exercise.

Respondents were asked whether they did any of the following, for at least 10 minutes, in the last week:
  • walking for fitness, recreation or sport;
  • walk continuously to get from place to place;
  • moderate exercise (apart from walking) for fitness, recreation or sport; and,
  • vigorous exercise for fitness, recreation or sport.

For each of these categories of exercise, respondents were asked:
  • the number of days they had done that exercise in the last week;
  • the total amount of time spent (hours and minutes) doing that exercise in the last week.

From the information recorded about the frequency, duration and intensity of exercise undertaken for fitness, recreation or sport, an exercise level was derived for each respondent. The aim was to produce a descriptor of relative overall exercise level, and to indicate the quality of the activities undertaken in terms of maintaining heart, lung and muscle fitness. Whether a person has met physical activity guidelines is calculated using the following formula:

No. of times activity undertaken in last week x average time per session (minutes) x Intensity;

where intensity, or metabolic equivalent of task (MET), is a measure of the energy expenditure required to carry out the exercise, expressed as a multiple of the resting metabolic rate (RMR). As the survey did not collect details of the types of activities undertaken, an intensity value was estimated for each of the three categories of exercise identified in the survey, as follows:
  • 3.5 for walking;
  • 5.0 for moderate exercise; and
  • 7.5 for vigorous exercise.

A score was derived for each of the three categories of exercise and then summed to provide a total for the respondent for that period. Respondents were grouped into exercise levels according to their score. For the one week period, score ranges were grouped and labelled as follows:

Exercise level
Criteria
Sedentary
Scores less than 50 (includes no exercise)
Low
Scores of 50 to less than 800
Moderate
Scores of 800 to 1,600, or more than 1,600 but with less than 2 hours vigorous exercise
High
Scores more than 1,600 and with 2 hours or more of vigorous exercise


After the specific exercise questions, all respondents were asked whether they had walked in the last week for periods of 10 minutes or more, for the purpose of going from place to place (i.e. for transport, not for fitness, recreation or sport). Those who had done so were asked the number of times they had walked for transport in the last week and the total time walked.

Respondents were asked which of the following best describes what you do on a typical work day:

  • mostly sitting;
  • mostly standing;
  • mostly walking;
  • mostly heavy labour or physically demanding work; or,
  • don't know.

Respondents were asked to report the time (hours and minutes) they spent sitting while watching television and using the computer on a usual week day, and all respondents were then asked to report the amount of time (hours and minutes) they spent sitting in other leisure time on a usual work/week day. Data is not available separately for time spent in leisure due to the potential overlap of responses (e.g. persons may have reported the same activity for 'time spent sitting at the computer' and 'time spent sitting in other leisure time'). There may be other activities which were not included by respondents, so this data should be used with caution.

Data from the questions on walking for the purposes of going from place to place, level of activity at work and time spent sitting do not contribute to the calculations of exercise level.


Data items

The data items and related output categories for this topic will be available in Excel spreadsheet format from the Downloads page of this product.


Interpretation

Points to be considered when interpreting data relating to exercise for fitness, recreation or sport include the following.
  • The topic conceptually excludes physical activity undertaken for reasons other than fitness, recreation or sport (e.g. household duties, gardening, labouring). As a result the data should not be interpreted as necessarily indicative of overall activity levels of persons, or of their fitness.
  • Although respondents were only asked to provide details of exercise undertaken for fitness, recreation or sport, some respondents may have reported details of activities at work which may have contributed to some very high levels of exercise reported. However, because information was not available to confirm this had occurred, the data were not amended and remains as reported. The possibility that this has occurred in some cases should be considered in interpreting the data.
  • The information is 'as reported' by respondents and reflects the respondent's perception of the activity undertaken, the intensity of their participation, their level of fitness, etc. Information about exercise undertaken by persons aged 15 to 17 years may have been reported by an adult within the household, usually a parent. The child may or may not have been consulted. As a result, data for this age group should be interpreted with particular care.


Interpretation

Points to be considered when interpreting data relating to walking for transport, fitness, recreation or sport include the following.
  • Walking for transport is a difficult concept to measure and define in a way which is meaningful to both respondents and users of the data. Testing before the survey showed significant recall and reporting problems for respondents, however it was not possible within the constraints of the survey to adequately address this issue. The data from this topic, therefore, is considered to be of poor quality, and should be interpreted with caution.
  • In this survey, walking for fitness, recreation or sport and walking for transport are conceptually separate activities, and occasions should be recorded as of either type, not both. Respondents may, however, have reported the same occasions of walking in both sections, as, for example, they may have chosen to walk to work for the exercise rather than take the bus. The order of the questionnaire and instructions to interviewers were aimed at giving priority to recording such occasions as 'walking for fitness, recreation or sport', however, the possibility that there may have been some dual reporting of data should be kept in mind.
  • Walking for transport conceptually excludes walking done at work. Interviewers were asked to exclude these cases where they became aware that respondents had included walking at work. However, testing indicated the likelihood that some respondents will have reported walking at work in response to this question in the final survey.
  • The 10 minute threshold (per occasion) is based on advice that this is the minimum time required before some benefits to health accrue from walking. It also provided a cue to respondents about the occasions of walking they should include. However, it is clear from some responses recorded that this threshold was not consistently applied by respondents, and this has impacted both reporting of occasions of walking for transport and the total time reported.
  • Further information about dietary behaviours will be available from the National Nutrition and Physical Activity (NNPAS) component of the 2011-13 AHS, to be released in September 2013.


Comparability with 2007-08

The majority of the data on exercise for fitness, recreation and sport were collected in the 2011-12 NHS with the same methodology and questions used in the 2007-08 survey, and therefore most results are considered directly comparable. The following changes, however, should be noted.
  • The 2011-12 NHS collected information for exercise in the last week, while the 2007-08 NHS collected this information for the last week and the two weeks prior to the interview. Care should be taken to ensure the correct time frames are used in any comparison of exercise levels between the two surveys.
  • Over recent years there has been an increasing focus by governments and media on health and lifestyle issues around obesity and physical activity. While such attention is likely to influence the levels of activity in the community, it may also have an impact on reporting behaviour; for example, creating a tendency to report what is perceived to be a desirable level of activity rather than actual activity. This should be considered in interpreting changes between results from 2011-12, 2007-08 and 2004-05 surveys.

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