PREVALENCE AND PATTERNS OF PHYSICAL INACTIVITY AND SEDENTARY BEHAVIOUR AMONG ADULTS IN TIRANA, ALBANIA

Abstract

Objective: Physical inactivity (PI) and sedentary behaviour (SB) are conceptually distinct risk factors for non-communicable disease, yet are often treated as interchangeable in surveillance. Our study estimated the prevalence and sociodemographic patterns of PI and SB among adults in Tirana, Albania, and examined their relationship with cardiometabolic characteristics. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 200 adults aged 18 years or older. Physical activity was assessed through face-to-face interviews using the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ), and the data were analysed according to the GPAQ Analysis Guide. PI was defined as fewer than 600 metabolic equivalent of task (MET)-minutes per week and SB as six or more hours of sitting per day. Groups were compared using Pearson chi-square, two-sided Fisher exact and Fisher–Freeman–Halton exact tests. Results: PI prevalence was 30.5% (95% confidence interval 24.5–37.2) and 33.8% reported sitting six or more hours daily. PI was highest among participants with eight or fewer years of education (51.5%) and retired participants (48.6%), whereas SB was highest among those with more than 12 years of education (46.8% versus 18.2%). Hypertension (55.0% versus 34.1%) and family history of cardiovascular disease (61.7% versus 34.5%) were significantly more frequent among inactive participants. PI and SB were not significantly associated. Conclusion: About one adult in three in Tirana is physically inactive and about one in three is highly sedentary, but the two behaviours were not significantly associated and followed opposite educational gradients, so they identify only partly overlapping groups. The two behaviours require separate surveillance indicators and separate intervention strategies.