Changes in physical activity among adults in Türkiye

Physical inactivity is a significant public health problem and a contributor to noncommunicable disease and worsening health status. It causes morbidity and an estimated 6-10% of premature deaths globally.

To investigate changes in physical activity among adults in Türkiye between 2014 and 2023 and the factors that influenced the changes.

Two cross-sectional studies were conducted in 2014 (N = 1228) and 2023 (N = 1517) on the same population of adults aged 25-64 years, using the same methodology. The data were analysed using SPSS 24.0. The relationship between variables believed to influence physical activity and the changes in variables within the groups over the years were assessed using the χ2 test. P < 0.005 was considered significant.

The mean age of participants was 41.25 ± 12.06 years, 51.4% of them were female, 70.8% were married, and 72.2% had children. The mean total metabolic equivalent of the task score was 2285 in 2014 and 2288 in 2023 (P = 0.984). There was no significant change in physical activity over the years and the inactivity rate had increased from 37.3% in 2014 to 39.9% by 2023 (P = 0.222). In 2023, men were 1.91 times more active than women (P < 0.001). There were differences in the level of physical activity across the age groups; older individuals were more inactive. The mean body mass index did not change over the years (P = 0.09).

The results show no significant change in the level of physical activity and prevalence of obesity among adults aged 25-64 years in Türkiye between 2014 and 2023. This indicates that the campaigns conducted by the Ministry of Health alone were not sufficient to increase physical activity among the study population. We recommend more intensive community level campaigns that could result in increased physical activity, with greater attention on women and older people.