SynthesisJournal of global health2020
Are people in the bush really physically active? A systematic review and meta-analysis of physical activity and sedentary behaviour in rural Australians populations.
Synthesis in Journal of global health, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 22 citations in OpenAlex.
- Movement Behaviour and Health Outcomes in Rural Children: A Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Pooled it
- Empowering Rural Communities to Measure Walkability: Co-Development of a Digital Tool.Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy · 2026Article
- Correlates of physical activity among rural Australian cancer survivors: a cross-sectional study.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2025Article
- Health literacy and uptake of healthy diet and exercise amongst individuals with prehypertension in Thailand.Health promotion international · 2025Article
- "My Back Exercise App"-mHealth for Low Back Pain: Development and Usability Testing.Journal of healthcare informatics research · 2025Article
- Low-to-Moderate Daytime Physical Activities Predicted Higher-Quality Sleep Among Habitually Active Agropastoralists.American journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology Council · 2025Article
- Article
- Physical activity and influencing factors in people post stroke or transient ischemic attack across diverse regions in Sweden.Frontiers in neurology · 2024Article
- Habitual Physical Activity of People with or at Risk of Diabetes-Related Foot Complications.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Patterns and correlates of physical activity and sedentary behavior among Bangkok residents: A cross-sectional study.PloS one · 2023Article
- Article
- Why some do but too many don't? Barriers and enablers to physical activity in regional Tasmania - an exploratory, mixed-methods study.BMC public health · 2022Article
- Exercise Promotion in Rural Areas.Indian journal of endocrinology and metabolismArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundPhysical inactivity is a major risk factor for non-communicable disease and premature mortality. People who live in rural settings are usually regarded as more physically active than those living in urban areas, however, direct comparisons between these populations are scarce. We aimed to summarise the prevalence of physical inactivity and sedentary behaviour in rural settings in Australia, compared to urban counterparts.
methodsWe searched six databases (AMED, Embase, Medline; CINAHL, SPORTDiscus; and RURAL) and identified 28 observational studies that investigated the levels of physical inactivity and/or sedentary behaviour in adults aged 18 years and over in rural Australia. Random effects meta-analysis was used to generate pooled prevalence estimates.
resultsPhysical inactivity was four percentage points (95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.4 to 8) higher in rural populations compared to urban populations. There was a one percentage point (95% CI = -3 to 5) prevalence difference of physical activity in the rural populations. Rural populations reported on average 7.8 hours of sedentary time per day (95% CI = 5 to 10) and the prevalence of high levels of sedentary behaviour (≥to 8 hours per day) was 7% (95% CI = -8 to -7) greater in urban areas compared to rural areas.
conclusionsPeople living in rural areas are just as physically inactive as people who live in urban areas. Our findings challenge the popular views that rural lifestyles result in people engaging more frequently in physical activity. Public health campaigns promoting physical activity in rural settings are just as necessary as in urban settings.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.