Table 3.
Physical activity research characteristics by world region and income classification, 1950–2016
| World regiona n(%) | Income groupa n(%) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Africa (AFRO) | Eastern Mediterranean (EMRO) | Europe (EURO) | South East Asia (SEARO) | The Americas and the Caribbean (PAHO) | Western Pacific (WPRO) | High Income (HI) | Upper middle income (UMI) | Lower middle income (LMI) | Low income (LI) | |
| Total number of articles (n = 23,860) | 514 | 524 | 8370 | 639 | 10,321 | 3492 | 19,144 | 3534 | 915 | 267 |
| Study design | ||||||||||
| Observational | 475 (92.4) | 447 (85.3) | 6866 (82.0) | 535 (83.7) | 8505 (82.4) | 2851 (81.6) | 15,649 (81.7) | 2987 (84.5) | 791 (86.5) | 252 (94.4) |
| Experimental | 39 (7.6) | 77 (14.7) | 1504 (18.0) | 104 (16.3) | 1816 (17.6) | 641 (18.4) | 3495 (18.3) | 547 (15.5) | 124 (13.6) | 15 (5.6) |
| Study’s population age group | ||||||||||
| Adult population > =18 years < 60 years | 79 (15.4) | 117 (22.3) | 1203 (14.4) | 96 (15.0) | 1678 (16.3) | 370 (10.6) | 2717 (14.2) | 637 (18.0) | 157 (17.2) | 32 (12.0) |
| Children and adolescents < 18 years | 143 (27.8) | 119 (22.7) | 2509 (30.0) | 125 (19.6) | 2528 (24.5) | 857 (24.5) | 5146 (26.9) | 867 (24.5) | 209 (22.8) | 59 (22.1) |
| Specific for older adults population > =60 years | 15 (2.9) | 13 (2.5) | 809 (9.7) | 44 (6.9) | 885 (8.6) | 418 (12.0) | 1800 (9.4) | 339 (9.6) | 34 (3.7) | 11 (4.1) |
| More than one age group | 268 (52.1) | 262 (50.0) | 3660 (43.7) | 368 (57.6) | 5052 (49.0) | 1792 (51.3) | 9104 (47.6) | 1638 (46.4) | 499 (54.5) | 161 (60.3) |
| Studies including pregnant women | 10 (2.0) | 12 (2.3) | 152 (1.8) | 10 (1.6) | 206 (2.0) | 61 (1.8) | 352 (1.8) | 74 (2.1) | 21 (2.3) | 4 (1.5) |
| Study type classification | ||||||||||
| Prevalence, measurement & trends | 232 (45.1) | 167 (31.9) | 3068 (36.7) | 186 (29.1) | 3316 (32.1) | 802 (23.0) | 6112 (31.9) | 1174 (33.2) | 357 (39.0) | 128 (47.9) |
| Correlates & determinants | 125 (24.3) | 147 (28.1) | 1337 (16.0) | 144 (22.5) | 2609 (25.3) | 1174 (33.6) | 4367 (22.8) | 910 (25.8) | 220 (24.0) | 39 (14.6) |
| Health consequences | 109 (21.2) | 158 (30.2) | 3033 (36.2) | 270 (42.3) | 3036 (29.4) | 1011 (29.0) | 6166 (32.2) | 1098 (31.1) | 266 (29.1) | 87 (32.6) |
| Interventions | 30 (5.8) | 38 (7.3) | 619 (7.4) | 23 (3.6) | 890 (8.6) | 399 (11.4) | 1724 (9.0) | 220 (6.2) | 46 (5.0) | 9 (3.4) |
| Policy | 18 (3.5) | 14 (2.7) | 313 (3.7) | 16 (2.5) | 470 (4.6) | 106 (3.0) | 775 (4.1) | 132 (3.7) | 26 (2.8) | 4 (1.5) |
| Study topic | ||||||||||
| Cardiovascular disease | 82 (16.0) | 81 (15.5) | 1122 (13.4) | 130 (20.3) | 1221 (11.8) | 301 (8.6) | 2237 (11.7 | 481 (13.6) | 164 (18.0) | 55 (20.6) |
| Cancer | 10 (2.0) | 18 (3.4) | 330 (3.9) | 15 (2.4) | 539 (5.2) | 128 (3.7) | 930 (4.9) | 80 (2.3) | 22 (2.4) | 8 (3.0) |
| Mental health and illness | 23 (4.5) | 16 (3.1) | 482 (5.8) | 47 (7.4) | 528 (5.1) | 219 (6.3) | 1079 (5.6) | 170 (4.8) | 42 (4.6) | 24 (9.0) |
| Earth/environmental/atmospheric sciences | 1 (0.2) | 3 (0.6) | 36 (0.4) | 1 (0.2) | 38 (0.4) | 17 (0.5) | 84 (0.4) | 11 (0.3) | 1 (0.1) | 0 (0.0) |
| Built and natural environment | 18 (3.5) | 24 (4.6) | 433 (5.2) | 24 (3.8) | 802 (7.8) | 346 (9.9) | 1370 (7.2) | 239 (6.8) | 34 (3.7) | 4 (1.5) |
| Sedentary time (different than TV time only) | 9 (1.8) | 10 (1.9) | 196 (2.3) | 14 (2.2) | 228 (2.2) | 78 (2.2) | 386 (2.0) | 131 (3.7) | 16 (1.8) | 2 (0.8) |
| Population with physical disabilities | 3 (0.6) | 3 (0.6) | 185 (2.2) | 3 (0.5) | 201 (2.0) | 39 (1.1) | 390 (2.0) | 41 (1.2) | 1 (0.1) | 2 (0.8) |
| Nutrition | 72 (14.0) | 59 (11.3) | 874 (10.4) | 46 (7.2) | 1029 (10.0) | 257 (7.4) | 1683 (8.8) | 521 (14.7) | 97 (10.6) | 36 (13.5) |
| Methods | 46 (9.0) | 15 (2.9) | 654 (7.8) | 24 (3.8) | 915 (8.9) | 400 (11.5) | 1734 (9.1) | 259 (7.3) | 54 (5.9) | 7 (2.6) |
| International policy documents and recommendations | 24 (4.7) | 14 (2.7) | 322 (3.9) | 16 (2.5) | 491 (4.8) | 135 (3.9) | 832 (4.4) | 141 (4.0) | 25 (2.7) | 4 (1.5) |
| Healthy lifestyle studies | 10 (2.0) | 42 (8.0) | 307 (3.7) | 26 (4.1) | 279 (2.7) | 151 (4.3) | 565 (3.0) | 205 (5.8) | 38 (4.2) | 7 (2.6) |
| Other | 216 (42.0) | 239 (45.6) | 3429 (41.0) | 293 (45.9) | 4050 (39.2) | 1421 (40.7) | 7854 (41.0) | 1255 (35.5) | 421 (46.0) | 118 (44.2) |
| Studies using physical activity objective measures | 72 (14.0) | 23 (4.4) | 1674 (20.0) | 39 (6.1) | 1752 (17.0) | 567 (16.2) | 3720 (19.4) | 310 (8.8) | 80 (8.7) | 17 (6.4) |
| Study including multiple countries | 111 (21.6) | 29 (5.5) | 1485 (17.7) | 77 (12.1) | 503 (4.9) | 218 (6.2) | 1856 (9.7) | 386 (10.9) | 156 (17.1) | 25 (9.4) |
a Database search was conducted for the 217 world countries GoPA! list. Population, world region and income group classifications according to the World Bank. United Kingdom was divided in its 4 countries (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland)