Physical activity profile of hypertensive adults living in rural South Africa

Understanding the physical activity behaviours of adults at risk of poor health is important to inform targeted interventions. We profiled the frequency, intensity, duration and domain (work or non-work) of self-reported physical activities of rural South African adults living with hypertension.

The aim of this study was to provide a profile of the frequency, intensity, duration and domain of self-reported physical activities over a 7-day period in adults with hypertension from a rural sub-district in South Africa.

A total of 429 adults diagnosed with hypertension aged 40 years and above completed the International Physical Activity Questionnaire Long-Form via telephone interview. Data were summarised using means and standard deviations or medians and interquartile ranges. The Mann-Whitney U test and Krustal-Wallis rank test were used to assess physical activity differences by sex and work status. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05.

The mean age of the participants was 65.1 (standard deviation [s.d.] ± 10.9 years), 58% were women and 52% had paid or unpaid work. Men reported greater (duration and frequency) vigorous physical activity at work compared to women (p = 0.003 and p = 0.002). Walking frequency as a mode of transport was higher for working men and women (p < 0.001). Women reported higher frequency of moderate-intensity physical activity inside the house (p < 0.001) and outside the house (p < 0.001) compared to men. Non-working men and women spent more time sitting during the week compared to their working counterparts (p = 0.009).

The physical activity profile of hypertensive adults varied by sex and work status.

Contextual factors such as gender roles are also related to the physical activity profile of hypertensive adults living in rural South Africa and should be considered when designing specific interventions targeted at improving hypertension control for this population.