Physical activity and perceived environmental attributes in a sample of Portuguese adults: results from the Azorean Physical Activity and Health study.

OBJECTIVES The aim of the present study was to determine whether the relation of perceived neighbourhood attributes to reported Physical Activity (PA) levels in Azorean adults varied by gender and body mass index (BMI). METHODS 7330 adult participants (4104 women), aged 38.1+/-9.3 years, from the 2004 Azorean Physical Activity and Health Study. They answered the Environmental Module and the short version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). Height and weight were self-reported. RESULTS After adjustments for age, BMI, education level and island of residence, the dimension Infrastructures, Access to destinations, Social environment and Aesthetics was positively associated with moderate PA level and Health-Enhancing Physical Activity (HEPA) level, only in women. When participants were categorized by BMI status, the same dimension was a significant predictor for moderate PA level in normal weight men and women, and for HEPA level only in overweight/obese women, after controlling for age, education level and island of residence. CONCLUSIONS The dimension Infrastructures, Access to destinations, Social environment and Aesthetics was predictors of higher PA levels in Azorean adults. Targeted programs for Azoreans to increase PA levels should consider that this set of environmental features seem to act synergistically and are positively associated with PA.

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