Results of obesity risk in relation to the physical activity frequency

Abstract

Background: Over the last 30 years, the prevalence of obesity related diseases has increased due to drastic changes in the lifestyle of Mongolians. Aim: Among the many risk factors for obesity, the lack of a detailed research of physical activity became the basis for our study. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in the framework of the MNUMS “Mon-Timeline” cohort study, a total of 1550 participants were randomly selected from 8 provinces in the Western, Mountain, Eastern, and Central regions according to geographical zoning and 6 districts of Ulaanbaatar city were involved. Results: A total of 1,550 people were surveyed, with a mean age of 41.1±13.7 and 27% (n=426) of men. 797 (54.4%) of those surveyed did not engage in active exercise or sports at all, and the proportion of people who do moderate intense physical activity for more than 150 minutes a week according to WHO was very low at 16.7%. People who don’t exercise at all are 3.64 times more likely to be obese than those who do exercise every week. Conclusion: In our study, results show that 54.4% of the population does not exercise at all, which may be one of the reasons for the increase in the risk of obesity. The lack of active exercise increases the risk of obesity by 3.64 times.