Elsevier

Preventive Medicine

Volume 52, Issues 3–4, March–April 2011, Pages 234-238
Preventive Medicine

Perceived environmental correlates of physical activity for leisure and transportation in Curitiba, Brazil

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2010.12.008Get rights and content

Abstract

Background

Physical activity (PA) has consistently been associated with perceived environmental characteristics.

Objective

To examine the association between perceived environmental attributes and various forms of PA in Curitiba, Brazil.

Methods

A cross-sectional phone survey of adults was conducted in 2008 (n = 2097). The questionnaire included environmental perceptions and PA. Principal components analysis was used to identify groups of perceived environmental attributes. Multivariate methods tested the associations of PA with perceived environment characteristics.

Results

Perceptions of moderate and high personal safety were positively associated with walking for transportation (53.0%, 53.1% vs. 47.3%, both adjusted ORs [aOR] = 1.5). Number of destinations within a 10-minute walk (4 and > 6 vs. < 3) was positively associated with bicycling for transportation (7.8%, 9.9% vs.4.8%, aOR = 2.5). Perception of high accessibility was positively associated with MVPA during leisure time (35.1% vs. 19.1, aOR = 1.7) and meeting recommendations for total PA (58.7% vs. 45.1%, aOR = 1.4). Perception of high quality of the pedestrian space (57.3% vs. 46.5%, aOR = 1.4) and moderate levels of personal safety (54.3% vs. 47.6%, aOR = 1.3) were also positively associated with meeting recommendations for total PA.

Conclusions

Different environmental attributes were associated with different PA outcomes, suggesting that these relationships are complex and may differ from those in high-income countries.

Introduction

Regular physical activity (PA) reduces the risk of chronic disease, including some types of cancer, diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease (DHHS, 1996, Morrow et al., 1999). Despite this evidence, levels of PA remain low in many countries (Waxman, 2003). Similar to higher income countries, lower- and middle-income countries are experiencing lifestyle changes, such as unhealthy eating and sedentary habits, that are contributing to the obesity epidemic (Raymond et al., 2006). Recent evidence shows that physical inactivity and overweight are among the strongest risk factors for chronic diseases in Brazil (Fuchs et al., 2008). Although Brazil is one of the world's leading economies, it has large social and health inequalities. Chronic diseases now account for nearly 62% of deaths per year in Brazil (Medina-Lezama et al., 2005).

There is an increasing amount of evidence from multiple countries on how perceived environmental factors play an important role in determining the likelihood of being active (McGinn et al., 2007, Dawson et al., 2007, Duncan et al., 2005, Sallis et al., 2009, Brownson et al., 2001, Giles-Corti and Donovan, 2003, Hallal et al., 2010, Humpel et al., 2004a). Some studies have found that perceived environmental factors are strong predictors of PA (Owen et al., 2004, Ogilvie et al., 2008). In addition, a growing body of evidence suggests that certain environmental characteristics may be associated with patterns of overall PA or with specific PA behaviors such as leisure time and active transportation (Giles-Corti et al., 2005). Some of the correlates usually found in the literature are perceived personal safety, availability and quality of resources for PA, aesthetics factors of the neighborhood, weather and perceived traffic (Duncan et al., 2005, Owen et al., 2004).

The majority of the evidence about environmental influences on PA comes from studies conducted in higher income countries, thus limiting the generalizability of the results and conclusions to regions like Latin America, which has unique cultural and contextual characteristics. The purpose of this analysis is to determine perceived environmental correlates of PA during leisure time and transportation in the city of Curitiba, Brazil.

Section snippets

Population and study design

Curitiba is a city of 1,797,408 inhabitants known for its large availability of green areas, parks and urban forests. The city has more than 52 m2 of green areas per inhabitant, well above the international standards for public space recommended by the United Nations Habitat (10 m2/person) for the promotion of quality of life (Gebre-Egziabher, 2004). Despite having high access to public transportation options and the highest public transportation ridership in Brazil (85%), the city also has the

Study population characteristics

The study population was predominantly female (63%) and within the age category of 35–54 years (42%). The majority of the population had less than high school (66%) and 71% reported owning at least one car. Overall, 52% of the population met recommended levels of at least 150 min/week of total PA, 55% reported walking for transportation and only 8% reported bicycling for transportation. Thirty-five percent and 28% reported walking and MVPA during leisure time, respectively. Forty-five percent

Discussion

This is one of the few studies from Latin America documenting the association between perceived environmental characteristics and PA, and one of the first studies to explore correlates of various forms of PA. Different perceived environmental characteristics were associated with different PA domains, thus supporting recent claims for increasing the specificity of the models when examining environmental factors (Giles-Corti et al., 2005). Overall, the environmental correlates found to be

Disclaimer

The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Conflict of interest statement

None reported.

Acknowledgments

This study was funded through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention contract U48/DP000060-01 (Prevention Research Centers Program). The study was approved by the institutional review board from Washington University in St. Louis. The authors are grateful for the input of all members of the GUIA team.

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