Leisure time physical activity in a hospital-based population

The epidemiology of self-reported leisure time physical activity (LTPA) has been studied among 3381 men and 1664 women enrolled in a hospital-based case-control study. 51 % of men and 36% of women reported LTPAs during a lifetime, and 23% of men and 22% of women reported LTPAs after 44 years of age. Brisk walking, swimming, cycling and tennis accounted for the majority of LTPAs after 44 years of age. Only 13% of men and 9% of women reported LTPA practice for more than 20 years and more than 3 hours/week; and 0.6% of men and 0.1% of women reported running or jogging for the same duration. LTPA practice was related to age, education, smoking status, and body mass index. Specifically, ex-smokers reported more frequently LTPA practice than current smokers. Despite the effort to identify aerobic exercise, results from the present analysis suggest that LTPA practice might be over-reported, as a result of a "wish" bias. Problems arising from the use of data on self-reported LTPA practice are discussed in detail.