Abstract
Latin Americans engage in physical activity (PA) in unique ways and use a wider range of places for PA than those commonly studied in high-income settings. We examined the contribution of a variety of places and domains of PA to meeting PA recommendations among a sample of adults (18-65 y) from all over Mexico. This was a cross-sectional study conducted in 2017 (n = 3 686). Overall and domain-specific PA was measured using the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire. Use of places for PA was self-reported. Places were classified as private or public. In 2018, associations between specific places and meeting PA recommendations (≥150 mins/week) were estimated using multivariate logistic regression models. In total 72.1% met PA recommendations. The proportion meeting recommendations through domain-specific PA was highest for leisure-time PA (50.0%), followed by travel-related (39.1%) and work-related (24.9%) PA. The most commonly reported places for PA were home (43%), parks (40.7%) and streets (39.4%) (public). Use of most public places was positively associated with meeting PA recommendations, mainly through travel-related PA (Streets OR 2.05 [95% CI 1.71-2.45]; Cycling paths OR 1.91 [1.37-2.68]). Using private places was more strongly associated with PA, mainly leisure-time PA (Gyms OR 9.66 [7.34-12.70]); Sports facilities OR 5.03 [3.27-7.74]). In conclusion, public and private places were important contributors to PA. While public places may be a powerful setting for PA promotion, increasing the equitable access for all to private places may also represent an effective strategy to increase PA among Mexican adults.
Highlights
Latin America has the highest prevalence of physical inactivity among adults relative to all other world regions [1]
We examined the contribution of a variety of places and domains of physical activity (PA) to meeting PA recommendations among a sample of adults from all over Mexico
The weighted sample was fairly balanced with respect to gender, age, region of the country, and whether participants lived with children or not (Table 1)
Summary
Latin America has the highest prevalence of physical inactivity among adults relative to all other world regions [1]. This study was limited in that it only examined composite variables of public versus private places (with no analysis of specific places) It only examined the relation of use of places with overall- and leisure-time PA, without considering other domains of PA such as transport- or work-related PA. Another limitation was that it only included one city from each of the studied countries (i.e. Curitiba, Brazil, Bogota, Colombia, and Cuernavaca, Mexico), which does not represent the full spectrum of urban settings in a country. Insights into potential places for PA promotion in a country with a large geopolitical region with highly diverse physical, social, cultural, and economic characteristics such as Mexico could guide future strategies in similar Latin-American regions
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