Neighbourhood environment and transport-related and leisure-time sedentary behaviour amongst women in a city in Southern Brazil: a multilevel analysis.

Abstract

To assess the association between neighbourhood environmental variables and excessive transport-related and leisure-time sedentary behaviour (ETSB and ELSB, respectively) amongst adult women in Southern Brazil. A cross-sectional survey was conducted using a representative sample of 1079 women 20 to 69years of age who lived in 44 neighbourhoods. Each neighbourhood was determined by drawing a 400-m buffer around the median point of the participants' homes. Neighbourhoods were assessed by audit and by using government data. Sedentary behaviour (SB) and the remaining individual variables were assessed via questionnaire that was administered as an interview. Multilevel logistic regression analysis was conducted. In the adjusted analysis, women who lived in neighbourhoods with a higher percentage of terrain slope and fewer public recreation areas per resident had significantly (p ≤ 0.05) increased odds of exhibiting ETSB and ELSB, with 50% and 40% increases, respectively. The results show that some aspects of the neighbourhood environment such as terrain slope and total public recreation areas per resident are related to specific SBs, indicating that improvements in neighbourhoods can reduce SB in women.