Association of public physical activity facilities and participation in community programs with leisure-time physical activity: does the association differ according to educational level and income?

Abstract

Background Our aim was to analyze the association of the presence of public physical activity (PA) facilities and participation in public PA programs with leisure-time PA, with an emphasis on the moderating role of educational level and income. Methods We used data of 88,531 adults (46,869 women), with a mean age of 47.2 ± 17.1y, from the 2019 Brazilian National Health Survey. Leisure-time PA (dichotomized considering 150 min/week), the presence of a public PA facility near the household (yes or no), participation in public PA programs (yes or no), educational level (divided into quintiles) and per capita income (divided into quintiles) were all self-reported through interviews. Adjusted logistic regression models were used for the analyses. Results The presence of public PA facilities near the household and the participation in public PA programs were associated with higher leisure-time PA among all quintiles of income and educational level. However, multiplicative interactions revealed that participating in PA programs [Quintile (Q)1: OR: 13.99; 95%CI: 6.89–28.38 vs. Q5: OR: 3.48; 95%CI: 2.41–5.01] and the presence of public PA facilities near the household (Q1: OR: 3.07; 95%CI: 2.35–4.01 vs. Q5: OR: 1.38; 95%CI: 1.22–1.55) were more associated with higher odds of being active in the leisure-time among the lowest quintile of educational level. Conclusions The presence of public PA facilities and participation in public PA programs are environmental correlates that may be relevant for designing effective public health interventions to reduce social inequalities in leisure-time PA among adults in low-income areas.

Sociodemographic Inequalities in Physical Activity in Latin America: Time for Policies Targeted at Groups that Need it the Most

“…Since they frequently live far from their jobs in cities and have less leisure time in which to be physical active, they may benefit if parks were built or revitalized in their communities. Most public physical activity facilities are located in wealthier neighborhoods [ 10 ]. To reduce inequity, interventions must account for unequal social and spatial distribution of physical activity initiatives in the urban environment, if they are to reach the neediest populations.…”