The Role of Physical Activity in the Lifestyle of the Inhabitants of the Liberec Region

Purpose. The aim of the study is to characterize physical activity and physical inactivity of the inhabitants of the Liberec region in their common life. Basic procedures. The research sample consisted of 818 males and 831 females aged 15-69, which were either systematically or randomly drawn from throughout the region. Physical activity and its correlates were assessed using the IPAQ questionnaire. Main findings. According to self-reported data, 10% of the inhabitants are insufficiently physically active, 30% are sufficiently physically active, and 60% are highly physically active. The median of performed physical activity in the inhabitants in Liberec region expressed in MET · min-1 · week-1 was 3822 MET · min-1 · week-1 (IQR = 4371). On average, men spent sitting 393 min and women 415 min in total during a working day. Out of the total sample of respondents, 58% of the inhabitants in the Liberec region were of normal weight, 9% were underweight, 23% were overweight and 10% obese. Conclusions. These facts point to the necessity of increasing knowledge about the negative impacts of inactive behavior and emphasizing the advantages of performing regular physical activity along with the need to establish such conditions that would contribute to physical activity performance.