A descriptive epidemiology of leisure-time physical activity in Brazil, 1996-1997
Rev. panam. salud pública
; 14(4): 246-254, oct. 2003. tab, graf
Article
in English
| LILACS
| ID: lil-351760
Responsible library:
BR1.1
RESUMO
OBJECTIVES: To describe the prevalence, frequency, type, motivation for, and demographic and socioeconomic distribution of leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) among adults in Brazil. METHODS: The data source for our study was the Brazilian Living Standards Measurement Survey (LSMS) (Pesquisa sobre Padröes de Vida), which was conducted in 1996 and 1997. This survey studied a multistage stratified probabilistic sample of 4 893 households, which included 11 033 persons who were 20 years of age or older. The surveyed households were selected in the two most populous Brazilian regions, the Northeast and the Southeast, where in total 70 percent of all Brazilians live. The selected persons responded to a series of questions concerning their leisure-time physical activities. RESULTS: Only 13 percent of the Brazilians surveyed reported performing at least a minimum of 30 minutes of LTPA on one or more days of the week, and only 3.3 percent reported doing the recommended minimum of 30 minutes on 5 or more days of the week. In younger age groups, men were more active than were women. However, this difference sharply decreased with increasing age, and by the age range of 40 to 45 years the prevalence of LTPA was similarly low in both genders. Men reported engaging in more team sports, and women reported more walking/jogging activities, but walking/jogging was relatively more common in both genders when physical activity was performed on 5 or more days of the week. Recreation was by far the leading reason given by men to engage in LTPA, while recreation, health concerns, and even esthetic concerns were all relevant for women. In both genders, health concerns tended to be relatively more important for those exercising more days of the week. Also in both genders, increasing age was associated with more frequent LTPA, more walking/jogging than team sports, and more health concerns reasons than reasons related to recreation. Among both men and women there was a strong association between LTPA and socioeconomic status, measured either by income or schooling, independent of age, region, and urban or rural place of residence. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of adult LTPA in Brazil was much lower than the levels that have been reported for developed countries. However, the demographic and social distribution of LTPA in Brazil...
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Health context:
Sustainable Health Agenda for the Americas
Health problem:
Goal 11: Inequalities and inequities in health
Database:
LILACS
Main subject:
Exercise
/
Leisure Activities
Type of study:
Risk factors
/
Screening study
Aspects:
Equity and inequality
Limits:
Adult
/
Aged
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
Country/Region as subject:
South America
/
Brazil
Language:
English
Journal:
Rev. panam. salud pública
Journal subject:
Public Health
Year:
2003
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Brazil
Institution/Affiliation country:
Centro de Estudos do Laboratório de Aptidão Física de São Caetano/BR
/
University of Säo Paulo/BR