Walking for leisure among adults from three Brazilian cities and its association with perceived environment attributes and personal factors

Walking is a popular form of physical activity and a convenient option to prevent chronic diseases, but most of the evidence on this topic is derived from high-income countries. Little is known about walking patterns and its association with environmental features in low and middle income countries. The purpose of this study is to describe walking for leisure and to identify its association with perceived environment and personal factors among residents of three state capitals from different regions of Brazil. Cross sectional phone surveys were conducted in Recife, Curitiba and Vitória in 2007, 2008 and 2009 respectively. Physical activity was measured using the leisure-time sections of the long version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). Perceived environment characteristics were assessed using a modified version of the Neighborhood Environment Walkability Scale (NEWS). Multivariable analysis tested the associations between walking for leisure and perceived environment characteristics across the cities using logistic regression. The proportions of respondents meeting physical activity recommendations through walking for leisure were 9.6%, 16.0% and 8.8% in Curitiba, Recife and Vitoria, respectively. Engaging in 150 min/wk or more of walking for leisure was significantly associated with younger age, higher education, better self-rated health and with lack of sidewalks on nearby streets. The study did not find positive associations between walking for leisure and traffic conditions and safety related to cycling/walking during the day or night. It was concluded that most environmental features were not associated with walking for leisure. Personal factors were stronger predictors of walking for leisure as compared with perceived environment factors.

• Record URL:
  • http://www.ijbnpa.org/content/pdf/1479-5868-8-111.pdf
• 
• Summary URL:
  • http://www.ijbnpa.org/content/8/1/111/abstract
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/14795868
• Authors:
  • Gomes, Grace AO
  • Reis, Rodrigo S
  • Parra, Diana C
  • Ribeiro, Isabela
  • Hino, Adriano AF
  • Hallal, Pedro C
  • Malta, Deborah C
  • Brownson, Ross C
• Publication Date: 2011-10-13

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: References; Tables;
• Pagination: 8p
• Serial:
  • International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity
  • Volume: 8
  • Issue Number: 111
  • Publisher: BioMed Central
  • ISSN: 1479-5868
  • Serial URL: http://www.ijbnpa.org/
• Publication flags:

  Open Access (libre)

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Activity choices; Adults; Behavior; Cities; Cross sectional studies; Demographics; Developing countries; Leisure time; Neighborhoods; Physical fitness; Public health; Safety factors; Social factors; Walkability; Walking
• Geographic Terms: Brazil; Curitiba (Brazil); Recife (Brazil); Vitoria (Brazil)
• Subject Areas: Pedestrians and Bicyclists; Society; I15: Environment; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01361642
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jan 30 2012 12:02PM