Conference Agenda

Background : The Belgian national surveys (Food Consumption Survey and Health Interview Survey), which measure physical activity in the Belgian population, showed that part of the adult population failed to achieve the WHO guidelines for physical activity. Importantly, physical activity level remained largely stable over the last decade. Therefore, identifying different profiles is critical for policymakers, as it enables the targeting of high-risk groups and the development of evidence-based, context-specific interventions.

Methods: The data from 2025 Health Interview Survey were analyzed using a Factor Analysis of Mixed Data and a Hierarchical Clustering on Principal Components model. The variables included in these analyses cover several complementary dimensions: physical activity, sedentary behavior, sociodemographic characteristics and health status.

Results: Five clusters were identified. Clusters 1 and 2 reflect high-risk profiles marked by overweight or obesity, multimorbidity, low physical activity, and prolonged sedentary time. Cluster 1 mainly includes urban women aged 55–74, while Cluster 2 consists mostly of men living in suburban or rural areas with limited screen time. Cluster 3 comprises young rural women with normal BMI and at least one chronic condition, low transport-related activity, and low sedentary time. Clusters 4 and 5 include individuals without chronic disease: older urban men (overweight, active, low sedentary time) and young suburban men (normal BMI, active, high sedentary time), respectively.

Conclusions: This analysis enabled the identification of sedentary or insufficiently active profiles. Although no definitive recommendations can be made, preliminary proposals were developed and will need to be validated through further analyses and/or field-based studies.