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The benefits of regular physical activity to the health and wellbeing of adults is well established, and include reductions in the risk of cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, certain forms of cancer, depression and some injuries. Physical activity is also an important element for achieving and maintaining a healthy body weight, which is of particular focus given the increasing rates of overweight and obesity, and the role of this risk factor in chronic diseases1 .
In 2012-13, four in ten (38%) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults in non-remote areas met the sufficiently active for health guideline, doing at least 150 minutes of physical activity in five or more sessions over a seven day period. On average, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults spent 39 minutes per day on physical activity, yet the distribution was highly skewed with two in three adults (63%) doing less than 0.5 hours, and one in five (21%) doing an hour or more per day on average.
(b)(c)(d), 2012-13.GIF) Footnote(s): (a) In non-remote areas (b) Excludes time not known (c) Average over 7 days prior to interview (d) Per day (e) Category 0-0.5 includes 1 minute to 29 minutes, 0.5-1 includes 30 minutes to 59 minutes, etc. Source(s): Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey: Physical Activity, 2012-13 On average, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men did more physical activity than women (45 compared with 32 minutes per day). In particular, men spent three times more on vigorous activity than women (12 compared with 4 minutes per day). The time spent doing physical activity was highest among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander 18-24 year olds (50 minutes per day) and declined with age to be lowest among those aged 55 years and over (29 minutes per day). A similar age pattern was evident in the non-Indigenous population.
(b), 2012-13.GIF) Footnote(s): (a) In non-remote areas (b) In the 7 days prior to interview Source(s): Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey: Physical Activity, 2012-13 After walking (71%), the most common moderate or vigorous physical activities undertaken for leisure by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults, were fitness or going to the gym (7%), jogging or running (6%), swimming (3%) and cycling or bike riding (3%). Of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults, those who met the sufficiently active for health guideline were less likely to be obese (31%) than those who did not meet the guideline (50%).
(b), 2012-13.GIF) Footnote(s): (a) In non-remote areas (b) Includes persons for whom height and/or weight were measured. See Body mass index in Glossary Source(s): Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey: Physical Activity, 2012-13 After adjusting for differences in age structure, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults were less likely to be sufficiently active for health than non-Indigenous adults (rate ratio 0.8). They were also less likely than non-Indigenous adults to participate in any physical activity (rate ratio 0.9), and more likely to be inactive (rate ratio 1.3). However, the average time spent on physical activity was similar to that of the non-Indigenous population, suggesting that those Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults who are doing physical activity are spending more time doing so. There were also differences in the type of physical activity undertaken between the two populations. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults spent nearly twice as much time as non-Indigenous adults (rate ratio 1.7) walking for transport. In almost every age group, other than the 45-54 year group, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people spent more time on this activity. In contrast, they were less likely to participate in walking for fitness, recreation, or sport, and all other moderate and vigorous activities, and spent less time doing so.
(b), 2012-13.GIF) Footnote(s): (a) In non-remote areas (b) In the 7 days prior to interview Source(s): Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey: Physical Activity, 2012-13 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults who participated in the pedometer study took an average of 6,963 steps per day. Around one in six (17%) met the recommended threshold of 10,000 steps or more. After adjusting for differences in age structure between the populations, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women did less steps per day than non-Indigenous women (ratio of averages 0.9), whereas men did a similar number of steps (ratio of averages of 1.0). For more information, see Tables 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 19 and 20 on the Downloads page of this publication. Endnote(s): 1 Warburton D, Nicol CW, Bredin SSD. Health benefits of physical activity: the evidence. CMAJ 2006; 174: 801-809 <http://www.cmaj.ca/content/174/6/801.full> 2 AIHW 2003, The Acive Australia Survey: a Guide and Manual for Implementation, Analysis and Reporting, cat. no. CVD 22, Canberra: AIHW <http://www.aihw.gov.au/publication-detail/?id=6442467449>
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4727.0.55.004 - Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey: Physical activity, 2012-13
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 05/12/2014 First Issue
This page last updated 24 April 2019