Personal, social and environmental correlates of physical activity in adults from Curitiba, Brazil.

BACKGROUND

Leisure-time physical activity is a complex behavior influenced by factors at multiple levels.

OBJECTIVE

To examine the associations between intrapersonal, interpersonal, environmental factors and leisure-time walking (LTW) and leisure-time physical activities (LTPA), excluding walking. We also examined the moderating effect of sociodemographic characteristics on these associations.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted with 1461 adults from Curitiba, Brazil (63.7% women). LTW and LTPA were assessed through the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), and a cutoff point of ≥ 150 min/week was used. Associations were examined through multilevel logistic regressions.

RESULTS

LTW was positively associated with self-efficacy, enjoyment, social support from family and friends, presence of public places for leisure and neighborhood esthetics. LTPA was associated with self-efficacy, enjoyment, social support from family and friends, safety from crime and neighborhood esthetics. Safety from crime was a predictor of LTPA among older adults only.

CONCLUSIONS

Factors at multiple levels were associated with LTW and LTPA. Interventions to promote LTPA would likely benefit from considering personal, social and environmental factors and different levels of influence.