S.I. Loginov, professor, Dr.Biol.
A.Yu. Nikolaev, A.Yu. Vetoshnikov, S.G. Sagadeeva, postgraduate students
Surgut State University, Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Region Yugra, Surgut

Keywords: Surgut residents, physical activity, energy consumption, demographic data, international Physical Activity Questionnaire IPAQ.

Introduction. Physical activity (PA) questionnaires are a recognized method of study of human activity associated with the manifestation of muscular efforts and energy consumption [5, 7]. There are many questionnaires being effectively used by specialists to estimate industrial and household, recreational, health and fitness motor activity in different population groups. In the last decade the short and long versions of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) in the form of brochures and telephone interviews are becoming more popular in many countries [6]. Meanwhile, the Russian version of this widely-used questionnaire has not been presented yet.

The purpose of the research was to test the designed Russian long version of IPAQ among Surgut residents.

Materials and methods. The research involved 168 randomly selected permanent Surgut residents: 73 men aged 37.2±12.3 years (43.5%) and 95 women aged 38.9±12.2 years (56.5%). All the participants filled out the long Russian version of IPAQ we had designed. This version is used to collect information about the time and the amount of energy spent on PA of mild, moderate and high intensity and during walks in 4 sections: at work, while moving (commuting), house work and work at the country house as well as activity at leisure. In each section, the subjects were asked to indicate the frequency of PA in the last 7 days (number of days) and its duration (hours and minutes).    

These primary data were processed in accordance with the recommendations of the full version of the standard protocol of the base English version of IPAQ [6]. For further analysis the following intensity levels of PA were identified: 1 – low intensity PA (LIPA) – the value of the metabolic equivalent (МЕТ) <1,5; 2 – moderate intensity PA (MIPA), 3-6 MET and 3 – high intensity PA (HIPA), > 6 MET. A separate category was created for individuals of “sedentary behavior” who spent on PA less than 10 minutes per day. Then, based on these MET levels energy consumption was calculated for each activity type in accordance with PA data compendium [1]. PA energy consumption volume (PAEC) was calculated by multiplying the time spent on this activity per day by the corresponding MET value of this activity for each section. The total energy consumption (TPAEC) was calculated by adding PAEC of all the activity types and presented in MET, where 1 MET = 1.0 kcal/kg/hr or 3.5 ml O2/kg min (for details see www.ipaq.ki.se).

The data obtained were statistically processed using the Statistica 10 (StatSoft, USA) software. The following parameters were calculated: arithmetic average <X>, median <Ме>, standard deviation <SD>, 0.95 confidence interval <± CI 0.95>. For comparison of the medians the Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used with the differences significance level p<0.05. In order to identify dependencies between the TPAEC indicators, gender, age and profession the one-way ANOVA test was used for each PA section, namely: work, commuting, house work and work at the country house, PA at leisure and while walking by different levels of intensity (sedentary, mildly active, moderately active and highly active). The original English version of IPAQ was translated into Russian and back by two translators. As a result of the reverse translation a few discrepancies were found.

These discrepancies are associated with the specifics of life in Russia and cultural differences. After consultations and using it in a small focus group a quite functional Russian version of the IPAQ questionnaire was made (Kendall rank correlation coefficient – 0.72).

Research results and discussion.  At the time of the research 67% of the subjects (58% of women and 82% of men) did not have any health conditions. 70% of the subjects did not do sports to keep fit, including 75% of women and 63% of men. Only 16% of the subjects of the randomly selected group did running and walking, while 6% of women and 12% of men did aerobic exercises and exercises with weights in the gym (Table 1).

Table 1. Demographic data, sports activities and hobbies of the subjects

In terms of PA energy consumption per week at work men were significantly ahead of women, but as for energy consumption during commuting to work, back from work and on business the values of men and women did not differ. Women spent significantly more energy on housework, but less while at leisure (see Figure below).

Indicators of weekly energy consumption in terms of physical activity of men (n=73) and women (n=95) of Surgut sample population according to the international questionnaire IPAQRU. Energy consumption per week, MET-minutes.

* – differences between the values of men and women are significant (p<0.05).

In the total volume of time PA of men and women took approximately the same amount - – 231 minutes (0.95 CI 204, 258) and 235 minutes (191,280), respectively, which is about 16%. Of the total PA the share of high intensity PA with energy consumption >6 МЕТ (i.e. when energy consumption more than 6 times exceeds the level of basal metabolism) among men is significantly higher than among women – 33 minutes (20, 46) as compared with 19 minutes (8, 29) (p=0.0421), that representing approximately 2.3 and 1.3 % of the total volume of time, respectively. Moderate PA – with the energy consumption of 3-6 МЕТ – was 124 minutes long among men (97, 151) and 131 minutes long among women (115, 146), that being equivalent to 8.6 and 9.1 % of the total amount of time. With regards to the time spent on walking and sedentary work men and women of the sample did not differ (Table 2). The share of sedentary work was 45% of the total amount of time without taking into consideration the sleep at night. No dependence of the total physical activity volume on gender and profession was revealed in the present sample. At the same time the PA of men while at work and at leisure was considerably higher than that of women: F=3.96, p=0.0495 and F=3.37, p=0.0199, respectively. PA of women was significantly higher in the “Housework” section (F=4.76, p=0.0098).

Table 2. The duration of PA of varying intensity, walking and sedentary work of Surgut representatives of sample population according to the international questionnaire IPAQ (minutes/day), Х±SD

Legend: TPA – total PA, HIPA – high intensity PA, MIPA – moderate intensity PA, X –arithmetic average, SD – standard deviation. In parenthesis are the values of 0.95% confidence interval, p – level of significance of differences in PA indicators of women and men.

IPAQ was developed to unify the comparative measurements of physical activity in different countries and cultural communities around the world [2, 7]. Other versions are being successfully used – German, Icelandic, Korean, Polish, Spanish, Danish, Canadian (in French), Brazilian, Turkish and Vietnamese - based on the English version of IPAQ. Using our Russian version of IPAQ the level and structure of everyday physical activity in Russia can be compared with those in other countries under common of methodological conditions. For example, the our measurements showed that total PA of the Russians represented by the sum of MET-minutes accumulated within one day in all the 5 sections of IPAQ (i.e. PA at work, commuting, housework, at leisure and while sitting) was 1447 (1244, 1648 CI) in all, including men - 1580 (1226, 1934 CI) and women - 1343 (1108, 1579 CI). These data are significantly higher than those of the Swedes [4]. In particular, according to Maria Hagstromer et al. (2010), daily PA of Swedish population aged 35-50 years was 682 (222, 964 CI) МЕТ-minutes, including men - 771 (221, 935 CI) and women - 614 (206, 115 CI) MET-minutes per day. The share of high and moderate intensity PA of the Russians was as such: for men – 33 and 124 minutes per day, for women – 19 and 131 minutes per day as compared with 23/56 of Swedish men and 19/56 minutes of Swedish women. Swedish people of the same age did not spend significantly less time sitting (606 minutes per day compared to 651 minutes for the Russians). At the same time the Canadians from Ontario spend sitting only 324 minutes per day [3].

Conclusion. All in all, it can be concluded that our long version IPAQRU provides rather satisfactory differentiation of the indicators of physical activity (PA) and energy consumption in sections (physical activity at work, while moving, at home, at leisure, while sitting), as well as by intensity levels (mild, moderate, high). The work is to be continued with a sample with a wide range of professions where physical work is involved.

References

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Corresponding author: apokin_vv@mail.ru