Investigation Physical Activity and its Effect on Other Risk Factors in Turkish Adults

The distribution of intensity of physical activity and its relationship to major coronary risk factors were studied in a representative sample of the Turkish adult population comprising 3660 persons aged 20 years and over. Participants were interviewed by a questionnaire to categorize them into four grades of physical activity in a combined assessment of both work and leisure activity. Grade 3 or 4 activity was exhibited by 53 % of Turkish men as compared to 36 % of women. Based on a point-score system men were evaluated to show 11 % higher physical activity than women (2.57 v.s. 2.30 points). In assessing the effect of physical activity on other risk factors, age-adjustment was performed by utilizing identical weights of the five age groups (20-69 years) in each category of activity, with separate weighting for men and women. It was thus noted that the serum total cholesterol concentration was inversely related to physical activity: as açtivity grade increased from 1 to 4, mean cholesterol levels declined in men from 185 to 161 mg/di (by a mean of 7.9 mgldl per grade) and in women from 184 to 164 mg/dl (by an average 6.5 mg/dl for each activity grade). Physical activity did not appear to affect the percentage of cigarette smokers, nor the body mass index (BMI) in women. However, BMI in men exhibited a mean decline of 0.4 kg/m2 for each rising grade of activity. Between individuals of lowest and highest grades of activity, age-adjusted mean systolic blood pressure diminished marginally by 3.4 mmHg in men and 2.3 mmHg in women. Thus the major favorable effect of physical activity in the Turkish sample population was on the serum cholesterol levels.