Ten-Year Changes In Adherence To A Healthy Lifestyle: The Results Of The Wobasz Surveys

BACKGROUND The evidence on the beneficial role of low-risk characteristics is well established. However, data on trends in lifestyle patterns in Central Europe are limited. OBJECTIVES The aim of this report was to determine changes in lifestyle patterns among adults in Poland between 2003 and 2014. PATIENTS AND METHODS The study sample comprised 12 857 adults aged 20 to 74 years (5986 men and 6871 women) participating in 2 nationwide representative surveys, the WOBASZ (2003-2005) and WOBASZ II (2013-2014). Low-risk characteristics included: nonsmoking, nonobese waist circumference, satisfactory physical activity, good-quality diet, and low saturated fat intake. The 5 characteristics created a lifestyle index ranging from 0 to 5. A poor lifestyle was defined as the lifestyle index from 0 to 1. RESULTS About 2% of the participants followed a healthy lifestyle, and 25%, a poor lifestyle in both surveys. The proportion of nonsmokers significantly increased (from 57.8% to 66.9% for men and from 72.6% to 77.1% for women). There was a significant decrease in the prevalence of nonobese waist circumference (from 75.4% to 71.3% among men and from 61.2% to 57.9% among women), adequate physical activity (from 37.5% to 27.5% among men and from 31.5% to 29% among women), and low saturated fat consumption (from 23.4% to 20.2% among men and from 26.1% to 23.7% among women). Lower educational attainment was the strongest sociodemographic factor contributing to a poor lifestyle (P <0.001). CONCLUSIONS The ultimate goal for the healthcare system should be to implement more effective interventions focused on promoting healthy lifestyle as a whole.