Physical activity patterns in the French 18-74-year-old population: French Nutrition and Health Survey (Etude Nationale Nutrition Sante, ENNS) 2006-2007

Objective: To describe detailed physical activity and sedentary behaviour in French adults across physical activity categories. Design: The French Nutrition and Health Survey (Etude Nationale Nutrition Sante, ENNS), conducted in 2006-2007, was a national cross-sectional survey based on three-stage random sampling. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) was used to classify participants into three physical activity categories. Time spent in a sitting position and time spent in front of a screen were used as markers of sedentary behaviour. Setting: France. Subjects: Adults (n 2971) aged 18 to 74 years were included. Results: Overall, 29.5% of men and 23.6% of women were classified into the high-IPAQ category, while 36.1% of men and 37.5% of women were in the low-IPAQ category. For each intensity level of physical activity (vigorous intensity, moderate intensity or walking), the number of active days per week decreased from the high-to the low-IPAQ category and daily duration of physical activity was longer in the high-IPAQ category than in the other two categories; 6% of adults declared neither vigorous nor moderate nor walking activities. Conclusions: For most adults in the low-IPAQ category, an increasing number of active days per week would be sufficient to attain the moderate-IPAQ category. This should be taken into account in public health initiatives aimed at promoting physical activity.