Abstract
The objective of the present study was to associate walking for leisure and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) in leisure-time with the perception of adults and the elderly's built, natural and social environments in Southern Brazil. It was a population-based cross-sectional study conducted in the urban area of the municipality of Rio Grande. To assess the practice of physical activity (PA), the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) was used. To assess perception of the environment, a modified version of the Neighborhood Environmental Walkability Scale (NEWS) was used. The statistical analysis was carried out using Poisson regression, considering the effect of sampling design. Of the 1,429 eligible, 1,290 (90.3%) were interviewed. Only 18.8% of the interviewees practiced walking and 23.4% practiced MVPA. The significant associations with both walking and MVPA were for receiving invitations from friends to perform PA and take walks with their dog. The practice of walking was also associated with: safety and access to public places for physical activity in the neighborhood. For MVPA, there was also an association with receiving invitations from family members to perform PA. The results of this study showed that social support, access to facilities and good perception of safety were associated with PA, and were more prominent for leisure walking and for women.
Highlights
The practice of physical activity (PA) is described as one of the main protective behavioral factors against Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases (CNCD)[1]
The results of this study showed that social support, access to facilities and good perception of safety were associated with PA, and were more prominent for leisure walking and for women
They assume that the built environment, the natural environment and the social environment where people live have a strong association with the practice of leisure PA, which is the area in which there is the greatest possibility of proposing interventions[4]
Summary
The practice of physical activity (PA) is described as one of the main protective behavioral factors against Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases (CNCD)[1]. Ecological models have been proposed by researchers in the field. They assume that the built environment (spaces created and modified by man, such as houses, schools, parks, streets, workplaces, among others), the natural environment (spaces in which there were no changes made by man, such as beaches) and the social environment (support provided through the motivation of other people or domestic animals to perform PA) where people live have a strong association with the practice of leisure PA, which is the area in which there is the greatest possibility of proposing interventions[4]
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