ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Correlations of work, leisure, and sports physical activities and health status with socioeconomic factors: a national study in Israel

E Kahan¹, Y Fogelman², B Bloch³

¹ Department of Family Medicine, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
² Department of Family Medicine, Leumit HMO and Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
³ Department of Psychiatry, HaEmek Medical Center, Afula, Israel

Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Dr E Kahan
Arazim 4/7, Kfar Sava 44456, Israel; ekahan{at}post.tau.ac.il

Objective: To evaluate levels of physical activities at work, leisure, and sports and to correlate them with socioeconomic and health factors.

Methods: Validated questionnaire administered to a random sample of 406 adults. Items covered demographic data, health status, smoking, and duration, frequency, intensity of physical activities. Indices of physical activity at work, leisure, and sports were analysed.

Results: Adults (both sexes) with poor self perceived health status and less than 13 years of education, regardless of their body mass index, perform no or few physical activities during their leisure time.

Conclusions: The correlations of physical activity with socioeconomic and health factors differ significantly for work, leisure, and sports. Physicians should differentiate physical activities by type and intensity during anamneses.

Keywords: family medicine; health education; physical activities; primary care; primary prevention

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