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.