Socioeconomic gradient in physical activity: findings from the PERSIAN cohort study

Authors

Ali Kazemi Karyani 1 2, Behzad Karmi Matin 1, Shahin Soltani 1, Satar Rezaei 1, Moslem Soofi 2, Yahya Salimi 2, Mehdi Moradinazar 1, Mohammad Hajizadeh 3, Yahya Pasdar 4, Behrooz Hamzeh 5, Loghman Barzegar 1, Ali Akbar Haghdoost 6, Reza Malekzadeh 7, Hossein Poustchi 7, Zahra Mohammadi 8, Elnaz Faramarzi 9, Ali Reza Safarpour 10, Farhad Pourfarzi 11, Mahmood Moosazadeh 12, Azim Nejatizadeh 13, Mojtaba Farjam 14, Davoud Vahabzadeh 15, Ali Ahmadi 16, Fereshteh Ghorat 17, Jafar Ahmadi 18, Fariborz Mansour-Ghanaei 19, Mohammad Reza Mirjalili 20, Saeid Eslami 21 22 23, Najmeh Maharlouei 24, Seyed Mehdi Tabatabaei 25, Sara Sarvandian 26, Farid Najafi 27

  1. Research Center for Environmental Determinants of Health (RCEDH), Health Institute, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran.
  2. Social Development and Health Promotion Research Center, Health Institute, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran.
  3. School of Health Administration, Faculty of Health, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada.
  4. Nutritional Sciences Department, School of Public Health, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran.
  5. Department of Public Health, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran.
  6. Modeling in Health Research Center, Institute for Future Studies in Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.
  7. Liver and Pancreatobiliary Disease Research Center, Digestive Diseases Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
  8. Liver, Pancreatic, and Biliary Diseases Research Center, Digestive Diseases Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
  9. Liver and Gastrointestinal Diseases Research center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
  10. Gastroenterohepatology Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
  11. Digestive Disease Research Center, Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Ardabil, Iran.
  12. Health Sciences Research center, Addiction Institute, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran.
  13. Molecular Medicine Research Center, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran.
  14. Noncommunicable Diseases Research Center, Fasa University of Medical Sciences, Fasa, Iran.
  15. Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran.
  16. Modeling in Health Research Center, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran.
  17. Traditional and Complementary Medicine Research Center, Sabzevar University of Medical Sciences, Sabzevar, Iran.
  18. Department of Radiology, Medical School, Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, Iran.
  19. Gastrointestinal and Liver Diseases Research Center, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran.
  20. Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran.
  21. Pharmaceutical Research Center, Pharmaceutical Research Institute, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
  22. Department of Medical Informatics, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
  23. Department of Medical Informatics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
  24. Health Policy Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
  25. Health Promotion Research Center, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran.
  26. Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran.
  27. Research Center for Environmental Determinants of Health (RCEDH), Health Institute, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran. farid_n32@yahoo.com.
bmj open

Abstract

Background: The level of socioeconomic-related inequality in physical activity in Iran is largely unknown. This study investigates socioeconomic-related inequality in poor-physical activity (PPA) among Iranian adults.

Methods: A total of 129,257 adult participants enrolled in the PERSIAN (Prospective Epidemiological Research Studies in IrAN) Cohort were included in this study. Physical activity of adults was measured using metabolic equivalent rates (METs). Physical activity less than 41 METs/hour/day was considered PPA. The Concentration index (C) was used to quantify socioeconomic-related inequality in PPA. Moreover, the C was decomposed to identify the relative contribution of explanatory variables to inequality in PPA.

Results: There were significant regional variations in physical activity level among Iranian adults (29.8-76.5%). The positive value of C (0.098, 95% CI = 0.092 to 0.104) suggested that the higher concentration of PPA among higher socioeconomic status (SES) adults in Iran which was consistently observed in all cohort sites.

Conclusions: The higher prevalence of PPA among Iranian adults, especially, women and older adults, warrant further public health attention. Since PPA is concentrated more among the high-SES population in Iran, strategies for the promotion of physical activity should focus more on economically well-off population.

Keywords: Inequality; Iran; PERSIAN; Physical activity; Socioeconomic status.

How to Cite

Kazemi Karyani A, Karmi Matin B, Soltani S, Rezaei S, Soofi M, Salimi Y, Moradinazar M, Hajizadeh M, Pasdar Y, Hamzeh B, Barzegar L, Haghdoost AA, Malekzadeh R, Poustchi H, Mohammadi Z, Faramarzi E, Safarpour AR, Pourfarzi F, Moosazadeh M, Nejatizadeh A, Farjam M, Vahabzadeh D, Ahmadi A, Ghorat F, Ahmadi J, Mansour-Ghanaei F, Mirjalili MR, Eslami S, Maharlouei N, Tabatabaei SM, Sarvandian S, Najafi F. Socioeconomic gradient in physical activity: findings from the PERSIAN cohort study. BMC Public Health. 2019 Oct 21;19(1):1312. doi: 10.1186/s12889-019-7715-z. PMID: 31638932; PMCID: PMC6802340.

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Socioeconomic gradient in physical activity: findings from the PERSIAN cohort study

Tags: Inequality; Iran; PERSIAN; Physical activity; Socioeconomic status.