The prevalence and influencing factors of physical activity and sedentary behaviour in the rural population in China: the Henan Rural Cohort Study.

Objectives To estimate the prevalence and influencing factors of physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviour (SB) in rural areas of China. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting A multistage, stratified cluster sampling method was used to obtain samples in the general population of Henan province in China. Participants 38 515 participants aged 18-79 years were enrolled from the Henan Rural Cohort Study for the cross-sectional study. Main outcome measures The International Physical Activity Questionnaire was used to assess the levels of PA and SB. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to calculate ORs and 95% CIs of potential influencing factors with physical inactivity. Results The age-standardised prevalence of light PA and sitting >7.5 hours per day were 32.74% and 26.88% in the general Chinese rural adults, respectively. Gender differences were: 34.91%, 29.76% for men and 31.75%, 25.16% for women, respectively. The prevalence of participants with both light PA and sitting >7.5 hours per day was 13.95%. Education at least junior middle school, divorced/widowed/unmarried, RMB1000> per capita monthly income >= RMB500, sitting >7.5 hours per day were negatively associated with light PA. For sitting >7.5 hours per day, the negative factors were being men, divorced/widowed/unmarried, heavy smoking, Fishery products, vegetable and fruits intake. Conclusion Physical inactivity and SB were high in rural China. There is an increased need to promote a healthy lifestyle to the rural population.