Physical activity in the rural population of Pelotas, Brazil: prevalence and associated factors

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the level of physical activity in general and by domains of practice in the rural area of Pelotas, State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, as well as their associated factors. METHODS: This is a population-based, cross-sectional study with adults living in the rural area of Pelotas. The questionnaire used to measure the prevalence of physical activity was the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire. Individuals who reported at least 150 minutes of weekly physical activity were considered as active. The demographic, economic, labor, and crime safety aspects were evaluated as independent variables. Poisson regression was used for the crude and adjusted analyses. RESULTS: Final sample consisted of 1,447 individuals. Overall prevalence of physical activity was 83.7% (95%CI 81.3–86.2). Regarding the different domains, 74.9% (95%CI 71.3–78.6) of the participants reached the recommendations of physical activity specifically with work, 25.2% (95%CI 22.4–28.0) with transport, and 15.1% (95%CI 12.2–18.1) with leisure. Men were more active than women in all domains. Individuals with rural work were more active in work and transport. Crime variables were not associated with outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of general physical activity was high, and was mostly practiced at work. On the other hand, leisure activities were not very prevalent and the associated factors varied in direction and magnitude according to the domains of physical activity evaluated.