• Rodrigo Fernández-Verdejo and Mónica Suárez-Reyes.
• Departamento de Ciencias de la Salud, Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
• Rev Med Chil. 2021 Jan 1; 149 (1): 103-109.

BackgroundPhysical inactivity and sedentariness are independent risk factors for mortality. Physical inactivity is defined as engaging in insufficient moderate/vigorous physical activity (i.e. not meeting the WHO's recommendations). Sedentariness is defined according to sedentary behavior; evidence suggests that > 8 h/d could serve to consider a person as sedentary. The Chilean National Health Survey 2016-2017 (NHS), using a single question (Question-NHS), considered as "sedentary" those who did not engage in sports or physical activity for ≥ 30 min, ≥ 3 times/wk. Thus, it attempted to estimate sedentariness without considering sedentary behavior.AimTo determine the prevalence of physical inactivity and sedentariness in Chile, and to contrast such results with the Question-NHS.Material And MethodsWe analyzed data from 5564 participants of the 2016-2017 NHS, aged ≥ 18 years. The Global Physical Activity Questionnaire was used to determine moderate/vigorous physical activity and sedentary behavior. We defined physical inactivity as having < 600 MET × min/wk of moderate/vigorous physical activity, and sedentariness as having > 8 h/d of sedentary behavior.ResultsThe prevalences [95% confidence intervals] of physical inactivity and sedentariness were 32% [29-34] and 6% [5-7] respectively, while 3% [2-4] were both physically inactive and sedentary. The Question-NHS classified 88% [86-89] as "sedentary", but among them, 35% were physically inactive and 6% were sedentary.ConclusionsOne third of adults are inactive, one out of ten is sedentary, and one out of twenty is inactive and sedentary. The Question-NHS overestimates the population at risk.

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