Physical Activity and Sedentary Status of Schoolteacher in Four Cities

Objective  To investigatethe pattern of physical activity in schoolteacher to highlight the significance of adequate physical activity, toprovide a basis for increasing the awareness of physical activity among teachers and to develope strategies for non-communicable disease prevention and control.

Methods  A total of 2,480 primary and secondary schoolteachers were selected by randomcluster sampling method from four cities, including Shenyang, Guangzhou, Chengdu and Wuhan. The level of physical activity and static status of schoolteacher was described by median and quartile method; The influence of different city, gender, education level, school type, teaching course, urban and rural area, family income level and other factors were analyzed by rank sum test and chi-square test.

Results  The median value ofweeklyphysical activity of schoolteacher was 480 METso minutes, and the rate of adequate physical activity was 42.4%; the median value of static activity time was 4 hours a day, and the proportion of static activity for 2 or more hours daily was 74.9%. The rate of adequate physical activity and static active time were significantly different in different city, gender, education level, school type, teaching course and family income level.

Conclusion  The physical activity of schoolteacherin these 4 cities was insufficient, and the sedentary status of teacher must be improved. A variety of means and ways are required for further propagation and education to forma good lifestyle and reduce the risk of non-communicable diseases.