[Levels of sedentarism in the 18- to 60-year old population in Manizales, Colombia].

OBJECTIVE Determining levels of inactivity in the population aged 18 to 60 years old in the city of Manizales. METHODS This was a cross-sectional study with phase correlation of 631 people aged 18 to 60 years in Manizales. People were selected by random sampling using the K systematic method. The variables analyzed were age, gender, weekly practice, BMI, hip circumference and initial heart rate. RESULTS 631 people were studied (305 males and 326 females) having a mean age of 37.7 ± 12.1 years. Physical inactivity (PI) prevalence was 72.7 % (69.2-76.1 95 %CI). Male sedentarism was 60.7 % (57-63 95 %CI) and 84 % in females (80.1-88 95 %CI); the variables explaining the level of sedentarism in the target population were age (p=0.03), gender (p=0.00), weekly physical activity (PA) frequency (p=0.00), hip circumference (p=0.042) and initial heart rate (p=0.00). PI level and BMI risk factors, such as alcohol and smoking, were not predicted. CONCLUSIONS 72.7 % of the population aged 18 to 60 years had a sedentary life-style. Age, gender, weekly PA/PI, hip circumference and initial heart rate significantly explained sedentarism level patterns; the correlation between observed values and those predicted by the model was 72.5 %.