Determination of the physical activity levels of 25 years and over people who applied to a family health center in rural area in Manisa and investigation of the factors affecting that

Physical inactivity is common at the present time in the adult and elderly populations. It is very important for individuals to acquire regular physical activity habits to prevent illnesses associated with immobility. Inactivity in inhabitants of cities has reached serious dimensions due to reasons specific to urban life such as rapid urbanization, air pollution, increasing technology use in daily life, and the lack of parks, hiking and sports areas. It is important to investigate the level of inactivity in individuals living in rural areas. This study was conducted to determine the physical activity level of 25 years and over persons who applied to a Family Health Center in rural area in Manisa and examine the factors affecting it. Our research is a cross-sectional descriptive study. Our study was realized between August 2017-January 2018 and was conducted on 250 individuals and over 25 years old, who applied to the Sancaklıbozköy Family Health Center in Şehzadeler, Manisa province. The "International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) short form" was used to determine the physical activity level of the research group. Socioeconomic status of individuals, daily activities, reasons for not doing physical activity were determined by a questionnaire prepared from literature. 54.1% of individuals who participated in our study were female, 45.9% were male, and mean age was 52.86±14.51 years. 47.2% of the participants were inactive, 36.4% were active at low level and 16.4% were active. In our study, the rate of obesity was as 54.3% in females, 30.9% in males, and 44% in total. In our research, men were significantly more active than women, young people were significantly more active than aged, smokers were significantly more active than non-smokers and individuals without chronic disease were significantly more active than those with chronic disease (p<0.05). The level of physical activity increased significantly as the level of education of individuals increased (p<0.05). There was no significant difference between physical activity level and marital status, income level, living environment, body mass index, using alcohol, sleeping time, watching TV, using mobile phone, using internet and social media (p> 0.05). In our study, it has been determined that the level of physical activity of the individuals living in rural areas is not very different from those living in urban areas. The inactivity seen in the majority of people living in urban areas was also found in individuals living in rural areas. These findings show to struggle inactivity and obesity must be both in cities and in villages. In our study, it has been found that some individuals have not enough time and have limited exercise conditions, and some individuals have been away from physical activity due to health problems. In order to solve this important problem, it is necessary to create and follow the "personalized exercise program". In order to be able to do this, it will be a good choice for high-educated sports trainers to be employed in health services. Thus, we believe that the appointment of personal trainers, who will be "exercise counseling" for individuals whom only family physicians refer to, in community health centers will be an important contribution to the solution of this problem nationwide. Key Words: Physical activity level, rural, people registered to Family Health Center.