Level of physical activity and eating behavior: Risk factors associated with sedentariness among obese employees of a company in the city of Kinshasa province, Democratic Republic of Congo

© 2018 Elsevier Masson SAS Objective: The objective is to determine the level of physical activity, eating behavior and risk factors associated with sedentariness among obese employees of the Multimodal Freight Management Office of Kinshasa (OGEFREM). Method: Cross-sectional study of the 157 obese employees, of which, 76 (48.4%) men and 81 (51.6%) women, aged 18 to 59 years were randomly selected. The level of physical activity was measured by the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) and the eating behavior by the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ-R 18). The description of the sample was made possible by calculating the proportions and averages. The Student's t-test and Chi-square test were used to compare the variables according to level of physical activity and socio-professional status. Logistic regression was used to identify independent determinants of physical inactivity and sedentary behavior. P < 0.05 was defined the statistical significance level. Results: Of the 157 questionnaires collected, 48.4% of men and 51.6% of women show that 59.2% of the study population has a low level of physical activity, and 58.5% a cognitive restriction. The average values of the following parameters: weight, BMI, Waist circumference, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, mean arterial pressure, pulsed pressure, blood glucose, total cholesterol, triglyceride, total body fat, visceral fat and lean mass are 85 ± 9.7 kg, 32.6 ± 2.9 kg/m2, 99 ± 13.0 cm, 135.6 ± 17.0 mmHg, 92.1 ± 14.5 mmHg, 106.6 ± 14.3 mmHg, 43.5 ± 12.0 mmHg, 129 ± 23.9 mg/dl, 228 ± 18.7 mg/dl, 169 ± 19.5 mg/dl, 39.7 ± 10.8%, 8 ± 8.9% and 28.9 ± 9.4% respectively. The probability of having a low level of physical activity and sedentary behavior was 5 times higher among employees spending more than three hours of time sitting on the computer (OR aj = 5.188; 95% CI (1.389–7.318), P = 0.006), 3 times higher among employees over three hours of time sitting in front of the television (OR aj = 3.042; 95% CI (1.155–8.012), P = 0.02), 3 times higher among employees who spent more than three hours of reading time (OR aj = 3.456; 95% CI (1.294–5.677), P = 0.006 and with cognitive dietary restriction (OR aj = 3.188; 95% CI (1.389–7.318), P = 0.006), cognitive dietary restriction (OR = 3.188; 95% CI (1.389–7.318), P = 0.006) and also 3 times higher among employees with high socio-occupational status (OR aj = 3.57; 95% CI (1.77–6.68), P < 0.015). Conclusion: The obese employees of the Multimodal Freight Management Office of Kinshasa have a low level of physical activity and cognitive food restriction. More than three hours of time spent on the computer increases the risk of becoming inactive and sedentary 5 times. On the other hand, more than three hours of time spent watching television and cognitive restriction as well as the high socio-professional status increases it three times and is positively associated with morphological, physiological, lipidic profiles and body composition. In contrast, they are associated with a decrease in muscle mass and high-density lipoprotein.

Publication year:2019

BOF-keylabel:yes

IOF-keylabel:yes

BOF-publication weight:0.5

CSS-citation score:1

Authors:International

Authors from:Higher Education

Accessibility:Open