Are yuppies and muppies more physically active than the others aged 20-39?

Objective: The aim is evaluating whether yuppies and muppies can be a role model for society in the field of taking care of leisure-time physical activity (PA).

Methods: Surveys were conducted by an Omnibus survey on the representative sample of Poles in two studies (N = 1053, N = 1067). Persons aged 20-39 (N = 762 were selected) and based on the criteria: education, residence in cities, study skills character of work, income, there was created a yuppie/muppie group (n = 67) and non-yuppies (n = 695). International Physical Activity Questionnaire - Long Form was used.

Results: Recommendations of WHO were met by 43.3% of yuppies/muppies and 33.4% of non-yuppies. No significant differences between groups were observed (p = .103) in this regard. There were no significant differences also between groups in practiced days per week leisure-time PA (walking p = .069, moderate PA p = .095, vigorous PA p = .256). The average value of MET-min/week for vigorous PA during leisure time was significantly higher declared (p = .03) by the yuppie/muppie group (628.7 ± 1415.5 vs. 345.8 ± 1073.4 MET-min/week).

Conclusions: Yuppies and muppies cannot be regarded as a role model for Polish society in terms of taking up active leisure-time activities and meeting World Health Organization recommendations. Thus, it seems valuable to carry out further research in order to find role-model groups within the population aged 20-39.