Yu.A. Vetoshnikov, postgraduate
A.S. Snigirev, associate professor, Ph.D.
S.I. Loginov, professor, Dr.Biol.
Surgut State University, KhMAR-Yugra

Key words: physical activity, senior residents, accelerometric studies.

Introduction. Man's physical activity (PA) is a complex biosocial phenomenon with chaotic dynamics [3]. The biomechanical essence of PA is that behavioral processes of conscious performance of a variety of motor acts, such as labor and sports actions, spatial motion (walking, running, etc.), are based on the biophysical processes of contraction of skeletal muscles and energy transformation [7, 1]. PA depends on many factors, acting separately or in various combinations with each other. These factors include gender, age, profession, season and time of day, day of week, state of environment [2, 6]. At the same time, direct measurements of physical (locomotor) activity using special motion sensors (accelerometers) under the combined action of the above mentioned factors are not enough.

The purpose of the study was to study physical (locomotor) activity of people in terms of KhMAR-Yugra using a 3-axis pedometer to get data for 24 h and then for 7 days non-stop.

As a working hypothesis we put forward an assumption that the study of PA of people for 7 days with the use of the 3-axis pedometer will ensure relatively accurate measurement and further evaluation and some science-based solutions of the problem of optimization of the level of PA of the residents of the North who have the signs of hypodynamia-hypokinesia depending on the day of the week. Here we relied on the following principle: more frequent physical training of a person (walking, jogging, action and sport games) promotes a more optimal level of his/her physical fitness and health for efficient adaptation to the living conditions of the North.

Materials and methods. The study involved 75 men and 75 women aged 41±13 with different professions, who had been randomly selected and who had signed a consent form. Throughout the study the subjects wore 3-axis accelerometer (pedometer) on their waist belts to register the data during the day and for throughout the week. The testees recorded the obtained readings into the "Journal of PA test results" that we had developed, where they also filled in the table of the daily core activities within their time budget. These notes accompanied the corresponding pedometer readings for the purpose of further processing and interpretation of the measured data.

In our work we used the 3-axis pedometers Tanita AM-120 (Japan). We determined the number of steps per 24 h and per week (7 days), total energy consumption (kcal), energy consumption during PA, time spent for walking and covered distance (steps, km). The obtained data were processed by the methods of descriptive statistics. We calculated the arithmetic mean - X, the standard deviation of the arithmetic mean - SD, the 0.95 confidence interval - 0.95 CI. Using the multifactor variance and regression analyses, we studied the dependence of locomotor activity (LA) on gender, age and profession. The significance of differences between the examined groups was estimated using the W-criterion of the Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney test, where the significance level was p ≤ 0,05.

Results and discussion. The physical activity values are presented in Table 1. According to the data from Table 1, the most remarkable increase in the men's PA falls on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. On Monday and Sunday, the activity of the male sampling population is significantly lower as compared to those days of the week. The Saturday data correspond to the mean values of the week in general. The study results reveal that the men made 8702 steps per day with the total energy consumption during PA of 870 kcal on the average. As for women, the number of steps equaled 6498 on the average with the total energy consumption during PA of 623 kcal per day.

Table 1. Number of steps and energy consumption during physical activity in sampling of senior residents of Surgut depending on day of week, X ± SD

* – differences between workdays and Sundays are statistically significant on condition that p< 0,05.

According to the graphical analysis of the histograms of the week LA, 52% of men make 6926 to 9354 steps, and 33% - 9355-11786 steps per week on the average. 10% of men make 4491 steps on the average, and only 4% - within the range of 11 800-14 250 steps. The women's LA is similar to the one of the men. 53% of women make 6880 to 9980 steps per week, and only 11% of women make 8434-9979 steps per week on the average, which is 21% less than in the men, besides they have a lower upper limit of activity. Almost 36% of women make 2260-5345 steps per day, which is definitely not enough to provide normal functioning of the body. These values are significantly lower than the LA level recommended by the specialists in health-improving physical culture, which is 10 000-12 000 steps per day. In the current sampling Sundays are not the days for physical activity. Moreover, during those days the LA is much lower than during workdays.

A dependency of the LA value in the women and men on their body mass and age, and of the number of steps per week on the average - on the body mass was determined (Fig. 1, A). The latter can be represented by the following formula: NSW_f = 3608+142х-1,27х², where NSW_f - the number of steps per week made by the women, 3608; 142; 1,27 - the empirical coefficients calculated basing on the measurements.

In the males, the formula of the dependency (Fig. 1, B) is as follows: NSW_m = 15 000-118х+0,53х², where NSW_m = number of steps per week, 15 000; 118; 0,53 - the empirical coefficients.

The "steps-age" dependency in the women (Fig. 2, A) is as follows: NSW_f = 6320+93х-1,8х², where NSW_f - number of steps per week, 6320; 93; 1,8 - the empirical coefficients.

Fig. 1. Number of steps depending on body mass of female (А) (n=75) and male (B) (n=75) sampling population of Surgut

Fig. 2. Number of steps depending on age of female (n=75) (А) and male (n=75) (B) sampling population of Surgut

In the men, the "steps-age" dependency (Fig. 2, B) is as follows: NSW_m = 18152+394х+3,7х², where NSW_m - the number of steps per week made by the men, 18 152; 394; 3,7 - the empirical coefficients.

In general, the presented dependencies prove the following: the larger body mass people have and the older they are, the fewer locomotions under other similar conditions they perform per week on the average.  

Nowadays, low physical activity (LPA) is becoming more common [1, 2] and is now one of the main factors of risk of most noncommunicable diseases [4]. In the North, LPA is worsened by the negative impact of the well-known environmental factors. The questions arise: how to move on? Should one move to another region or even country? In our opinion, first and foremost, it is necessary to introduce the fashion to be proactive. To convince people that physical exercises do not always consist in training in a gym. It is enough to simply walk 5-7 km per day, for instance, from your home to office and back. Which along with the morning exercises will reinforce your body [6] and, as a result, you will be able to withstand the pathologically low physical activity [2].

Conclusion.  In terms of KhMAR-Yugra men's PA from Tuesday to Saturday was on the verge of recommended conditional norm of 10,000 steps. The women's locomotor activity is below normal during all days of the week. In this sample, the women's LA was lower than the men's. The number of steps and the total energy consumption for physical activity for men and women on Sunday was significantly lower than on weekdays. A complex of system measures is required to improve the level of day and week PA. Particular attention should be paid to the organization of motor leisure according to interests on Sundays. This will facilitate optimizing physical activity of people who lead sedentary lifestyle.

References

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Corresponding author: apokin_vv@mail.ru