The current study aimed to examine the adherence trend for aerobic and muscle-strengthening physical activity (PA) guidelines among Korean adults using the Korea National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey from 2014 to 2019. Korean adults (N = 2642) were included in the current study to examine the trend of PA adherence from 2014 to 2019. The PA guidelines are: (a) aerobic activity (a minimum of 150 min moderate to vigorous PA weekly) and (b) muscle-strengthening activity (a minimum of two days weekly). Self-report questionnaires in the survey measured both activities. The adherence to PA guidelines by survey year was examined using a multivariable logistic regression analysis adjusted for covariates. There was a significant decreasing trend in which the adherence rate to aerobic PA guidelines changed from 57.0% in 2014 to 45.6% in 2019 (p < 0.001). On the other hand, the trend in adherence rate to muscle-strengthening activity was not significant (p = 0.976). The adherence rate to muscle-strengthening activity guideline was slightly increased but still low from 20.8% to 23.3% during 2014–2019. The aerobic PA guidelines are significantly decreasing, and more than half of the Korean adults in 2019 have not followed the guidelines. In addition, there has been a slight increase in muscle-strengthening activity; however, the adherence rate is meager. Therefore, this study suggests that Korean adults’ aerobic and muscle-strengthening PA participation is necessary for their low adherence rate and decline tendency.

We examined the joint association of physical activity (PA) and socio-economic status (SES) on all-causes and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality in 6945 elderly Koreans (mean age: 71.6 years, 41.8% male) using data from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2007–2013) and death data from Statistics Korea (2019). The SES included household income and education level. PA was assessed using the IPAQ and categorized according to the 2018 PA Guidelines. In stratified analyses using Cox proportional hazards by SES adherence to PA guidelines those who low household income group was associated with a reduced risk of all-cause mortality and CVD mortality, while in the lowest educational level group, it was associated with a reduced risk of all-cause mortality and CVD mortality. In the joint analysis, PA was associated with a significant reduction in all-cause mortality in all groups when compared with those who did not meet PA those who had the lowest SES. However, PA with CVD mortality risk was not significantly associated in the ‘upper-middle’ income and ‘high school’ education groups. The study revealed that PA significantly association mortality, particularly among older adults with low SES. This finding suggests the potential for targeted government interventions to promote healthy aging.

Xiaonan Ma, Soomin Lee, Yeon Soo Kim. KJSM 2024;42:31-7. https://doi.org/10.5763/kjsm.2024.42.1.31