PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND ASSOCIATED FACTORS AMONG WOMEN IN A SUBURBAN AREA: FINDINGS OF A COMMUNITY-BASED STUDY IN IRAN

Abstract

Background: Women’s physical inactivity has a strong relationship with adverse health consequences including non-communicable disease. Personal, physical and social factors are associated with women’s physical activity (PA) in Western countries, however little is known about the correlates of women’s physical activity in developing countries. This study was developed to identify personal, social and physical environmental determinants of PA in adult Iranian women living in an suburban area. Methods: In a cross-sectional study of women age 18-64 years, cluster sampling method was used to select eligible women from two districts in the city of Qom. Participants provided demographic details and completed a validated PA determinants questionnaire to identify the determinants of physical activity and International physical activity questionnaire (IPAQ) to assess the PA level. Results: In total, 297 women participated (mean age x years SD). The findings of the descriptive statistics indicated that 139 women (46.8%) performed low PA, while 120 women (40.41%) and 36 women (12.79%) participate in moderate and high PA level, respectively. Age, marriage, education, enjoyment, preferences, motivation, self-efficacy, availability of appropriate places, social support, inappropriate culture of community and not having a partner for physical activity, were related to physical activity level of women. Conclusions: Greater focus on factors such as enjoyment, self-efficacy, availability of appropriate places, and social support and on the other hand attention to promoting the life condition of women and reducing their family responsibilities is necessary to reach a comprehensive approach for increasing the PA of women in the suburban areas