Association between sociodemographic and health factors and the practice of walking in a rural area.

UNLABELLED

The regular practice of walking can contribute to a better quality of life, reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the association between sociodemographic and health factors related to adult practice of walking in the Brazilian rural context.

METHODS

Cross-sectional study of 567 adults. The outcome variable was the regular practice of walking (≥150 minutes per week) and the explanatory variables were sociodemographic factors, anthropometric measures, laboratory tests and self-perceived health. The chi-square test and Poisson regression were used in analysis, considering p ≤ 0.05.

RESULTS

Only 34.7% of the population practices walking regularly. Women (PR 0.84, 95% CI 0.78-0.89), age of 31-45 years (OR 1.11, 95% CI 1.02-1.22, comparing to 18-30 years), and self-perception of poor/fair health (OR 0.90, 95% CI 0.84-0.97 comparing to people with great/good health) remained independently associated with regular practice of walking. Conclusion Age between 31 and 45 years and males were positively associated with walking and the perception of poor/fair health had negative association. These findings may suggest that public policies to encourage physical activity in urban areas should also be applied to rural areas.