Physical activity - adults | National Cancer Control Indicators

Published

22 Nov, 2017

It is well established that physical activity is essential for good health and well-being. Physical activity can decrease the risk of developing cancer^1-3as well as improving cardiovascular fitness, maintaining bone mineral density, and reducing stress.⁴ Physical activity is also an important element of reducing excess body weight, which is another risk factor associated with cancer. Doing little or no physical activity increases the risk of developing cancer.⁴

The 2011 Australian Burden of Disease Study indicated that physical inactivity contributed 6.4% of the disease burden for cancer.⁵ It is estimated that 5% of cancers in the United States are linked to lack of regular exercise⁶or sedentary lifestyle.⁷ Globally, it has been estimated that 135,000 deaths from cancer each year are due to physical inactivity.⁸Approximately 21-25% of colon and breast cancers are attributed primarily to physical inactivity.⁹

Summary

More than half of Australian adults are insufficiently activeIn 2014-15, 9.6 million Australian adults (54.5%) were regarded as insufficiently active.

Indigenous persons are more likely to be insufficiently active than non-indigenous personsIn 2011-13, Indigenous persons were more likely to be insufficiently active than non-Indigenous persons (64.4% compared with 55.6%).

People living in major cities are less likely to be insufficiently active than Australians in other regionsBetween 2011-15 people living in Major Cities were less likely to be insufficiently active compared with those in other regions of Australia.

Data

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Notes

• Data sourced from ABS National Health Survey
• Error bars indicate 95% confidence intervals.

Crude rates
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Notes

• Data sourced from the ABS National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey, and National Health Survey
• Error bars indicate 95% confidence intervals.
• Total (a) proportions have been age standardised to the 2001 Australian population.

Age specific rates and age-standardised rates
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Notes

• Data sourced from ABS National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey (for non-remote areas only) and National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey.
• Error bars indicate 95% confidence intervals.
• Proportions have been age standardised to the 2001 Australian population.

Age-standardised rates
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Notes

• Data sourced from ABS National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey and National Health Survey.
• Error bars indicate 95% confidence intervals.
• Proportions have been age standardised to the 2001 Australian population.
• Based on 2011 Accessibility/Remoteness Index of Australia (ARIA).

Age-standardised rates
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Notes

• Data sourced from ABS National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey and National Health Survey.
• Error bars indicate 95% confidence intervals.
• Proportions have been age standardised to the 2001 Australian population.
• Based on the 2011 Index of Relative Socio-Economic Disadvantage (refer to About the Data for more information).

Age-standardised rates

About this measure

The measure ‘proportion of people aged 18 years and over who participated in less than 150 minutes or less than five sessions of physical activity, including walking for fitness/transport, moderate and/or vigorous physical activity, in the previous week’ comprises people who did less than 150 minutes of physical activity or less than 5 sessions, including those who did no physical activity. Collectively, this group will be referred in the report as ‘insufficiently active’.

Where relevant, rates were age-standardised in this report to account for differences in age structure over time. Age-standardisation was also applied for comparisons between population groups, including: Indigenous and non-Indigenous people, and residents by area of remoteness and level of socioeconomic disadvantage.

Current status

In 2014-15, 9.6 million Australian adults (54.5% of the adult population) were insufficiently active.^{10, 11} Females were more likely to be insufficiently active than males (56.4% compared with 52.6%).

Levels of insufficient physical activity tended to increase with age, with the highest proportion presenting in people aged 75 years and over (71.9%).^{10, 11}

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples

In 2012-13, 61.5% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults were insufficiently active, with higher proportions of insufficiently active occurring among females than males (66.0% compared with 56.8%).¹²

After adjusting for differences in age structure between Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations, Indigenous Australians were more likely to be insufficiently active than their non-Indigenous counterparts (64.4% compared with 55.6%).¹² While Indigenous females were more likely to be insufficiently active than their non-Indigenous counterparts, and a similar pattern was observed for males, the difference among males was not statistically significant.

Remoteness and socioeconomic status (SES)

Levels of insufficient physical activity varied according to remoteness and socioeconomic status. After adjusting for differences in age structure across sub-populations, adults in Inner Regional (59.4%), and Outer Regional and Remote Australia (62.6%) were more likely to be insufficiently active than those living in Major Cities (52.0%).¹¹ This was so for both males (61.0% compared with 49.3%) and females (59.9% compared with 54.7%). Among residents of Major Cities, insufficient physical activity was more common among females than males (54.7% compared with 49.3%).

A social gradient of insufficient physical activity was evident in 2014-15. After adjusting for differences in age structure, people living in areas of most disadvantage (64.4%) were 1.5 times more likely to be insufficiently active than those living in areas of least disadvantage (42.7%).¹¹

Trends

Between 2011-12 and 2014-15, no change was observed in the proportion of people who were insufficiently active.^{11, 13}This was the case for both males and females in every age group.

Remoteness and socioeconomic status (SES)

From 2011-12 to 2014-15, the age-standardised rates of insufficient physical activity remained unchanged between areas of residential remoteness.^{11, 13}

Between 2011-12 and 2014-15, there was a significant decrease in proportion of people who were insufficiently active among female in areas of least disadvantage.^{11, 13} This difference was not observed among males.

About the data

This measure shows the proportion of adults aged 18 years and over who participated in less than 150 minutes or less than five sessions and those who did no physical activity in the previous week. Physical activity includes walking for fitness/transport, moderate and/or vigorous physical activity.

Numerator: Number of persons aged 18 years and over who participated in less than 150 minutes or less than five sessions and those who did no physical activity in the previous week.

Denominator: Number of persons aged 18 years and over including those who reported ‘Not stated/Not known’.

In the 2011 Index of Relative Socio-Economic Disadvantage, attributes summarised by this index include low income, low educational attainment, high unemployment and jobs in relatively unskilled occupations. A lower Index of Disadvantage quintile (e.g. the first quintile) indicates an area with relatively greater disadvantage and a lack of advantage in general. A higher Index of Disadvantage (e.g. the fifth quintile) indicates an area with a relative lack of disadvantage and greater advantage in general.

Methodology

Remoteness

The Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) 2011, was used to allocate participants to a remoteness area based on their area of usual residence. (Note that earlier data may have used the now superceeded 2006 Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ASGC)).

Socioeconomic status

The 2011 Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA) Index for Relative Socio-Economic Disadvantage was used to allocate participants to a SEIFA quintile based on their usual residence.

Data source

Data are sourced from 2011-12 National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey, 2012-13 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey and 2014-15 National Health Survey.

Data caveats

In 2012-13, collection of physical activity and sedentary behaviour data in the previous week was collected from adults in non-remote areas only.
People who reported ‘Not known/Not stated’, with respect to their level of physical activity in the previous week, are included in the denominator.
Proportions have been age standardised to the 2001 Australian population to account for differences in age structures between the two populations over time.
The 2011-12 National Health Survey data in TableBuilder and 2014-15 NHS data have been randomly adjusted to avoid the release of confidential data. Discrepancies may occur between sums of the component items and totals.

References

Activity in this area

Data

Australian Bureau of Statistics. 4364.0.55.001 - National Health Survey: First Results, 2014-15. Canberra: ABS; 2015 [Accessed September 2016]; Available at: http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/PrimaryMainFeatures/4364.0.55.001?OpenDocument

Australian Bureau of Statistics. 4727.0.55.004 - Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey: Physical activity, 2012–13. Canberra: ABS; 2014 [Accessed October 2016]; Available at: http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/4727.0.55.004main+features12012-13

Social Health Atlases of Australia: Population Health areas – Exercise data. [Accessed March2019]; Available at: http://phidu.torrens.edu.au/social-health-atlases/data#social-health-atlas-of-australia-population-health-areas

Policy

Department of Health. Australia’s Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour Guidelines. Canberra: Department of Health; 2014 [Accessed October 2016]; Available at: http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/content/health-pub...

References

1. Cust AE, Armstrong BK, Friedenreich CM, Slimani N, Bauman A. Physical activity and endometrial cancer risk: a review of the current evidence, biologic mechanisms and the quality of physical activity assessment methods. Cancer causes & control : CCC. 2007;18(3):243-58. Epub 2007/01/09.

2. Lee IM. Physical activity and cancer prevention--data from epidemiologic studies. Medicine and science in sports and exercise. 2003;35(11):1823-7. Epub 2003/11/06.

3. National Cancer Institute. Physical Activity and Cancer. Bethesda: NCI; 2009 [Accessed October 2016]; Available at: https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/obesity/physical-activity-fact-sheet

4. Cancer Australia. Physical activity and sedentary behaviour. Sydney: Cancer Australia; 2015 [Accessed October 2016]; Available at: https://canceraustralia.gov.au/publications-and-resources/position-statements/lifestyle-risk-factors-and-primary-prevention-cancer/lifestyle-risk-factors/physical-activity-and-sedentary-behaviour

5. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Australian Burden of Disease Study: impact and causes of illness and death in Australia 2011. Australian Burden of Disease Study series no. 3. BOD 4. Canberra: AIHW; 2016 [Accessed October 2016]; Available at: http://www.aihw.gov.au/WorkArea/DownloadAsset.aspx?id=60129555476.

6. Colditz GA, Wolin KY, Gehlert S. Applying what we know to accelerate cancer prevention. Sci Transl Med. 2012;4(127):127rv4.

7. Dart H, Wolin KY, Colditz GA. Commentary: eight ways to prevent cancer: a framework for effective prevention messages for the public. Cancer causes & control : CCC. 2012;23(4):601-8. Epub 2012/03/01.

8. Danaei G, Vander Hoorn S, Lopez AD, Murray CJ, Ezzati M, Comparative Risk Assessment collaborating g. Causes of cancer in the world: comparative risk assessment of nine behavioural and environmental risk factors. Lancet. 2005;366(9499):1784-93. Epub 2005/11/22.

9. World Health Organization. Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health. Geneva: WHO; 2016 [Accessed October 2016]; Available at: http://www.who.int/dietphysicalactivity/pa/en/.

10. Australian Bureau of Statistics. 4364.0.55.001 - National Health Survey: First Results, 2014-15. Canberra: ABS; 2015 [Accessed September 2016]; Available at: http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/PrimaryMainFeatures/4364.0.55.001?OpenDocument

11. 4324.0.55.001 - Microdata: National Health Survey, 2014-15 [database on the Internet]. ABS. 2016 [Accessed September 2016].

12. Australian Bureau of Statistics. 4727.0.55.004 - Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey: Physical activity, 2012–13. Canberra: ABS; 2014 [Accessed October 2016]; Available at: http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/4727.0.55.004main+features12012-13

13. Australian Bureau of Statistics. 4324.0.55.002 - Microdata: Australian Health Survey: Nutrition and Physical Activity, 2011-12. Canberra: ABS; 2013 [AccessedOctober 2016]; Available at: http://abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Lookup/4324.0.55.002Main+Features12011-12

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Summary

More than half of Australian adults are insufficiently active

Indigenous persons are more likely to be insufficiently active than non-indigenous persons

People living in major cities are less likely to be insufficiently active than Australians in other regions

Data

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