Age, gender, and urban-rural differences in the correlates of physical activity.

BACKGROUND: The majority of the population is inactive, and strategies to date for promoting regular physical activity have been limited in their effectiveness. Further research is needed to identify correlates of physical activity in different subgroups to design more efficacious interventions. This study sought to identify correlates of physical activity across men and women, urban and rural geographical locations, and four distinct age groups (18-25; 26-45; 46-59; and 60+).

METHODS: This study employed data from a large provincial household random sample (N = 20,606) of Canadians. Analyses were utilized to examine the amount of variance explained in self-reported physical activity by a number of demographic and/or biological, psychological, behavioral, social, and environmental variables within each subgroup.

RESULTS: Proportion of friends who exercise, injury from past physical activity, educational level, perceived health status, and alcohol consumption were among the strongest correlates across subgroups.

CONCLUSIONS: A number of correlates were identified as being significant across all subgroups examined. Most differences in the correlates of physical activity were found within different age groups rather than among urban and rural residents and gender.