Satisfaction with local exercise facility: a rural-urban comparison in China

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Disparities
• Exercise Science

Background:

• Widening rural-urban inequalities in China impact opportunities for physical activity.
• Rural residents encounter barriers to equal access to exercise facilities and engagement in physical activity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine rural-urban disparities in physical activity.
• To assess differences in proximity and satisfaction with local exercise facilities between rural and urban residents in China.

Main Methods:

• An in-person survey of 1661 rural and 2446 urban residents across 10 Chinese provinces in 2012.
• Nearest-neighbor matching used to control for sociodemographic differences between rural and urban participants.
• Pearson's chi-squared test applied to compare physical activity, facility proximity, and satisfaction levels.

Main Results:

• Matched rural residents were more likely to be physically inactive (8.1%) and live further from exercise facilities (5.8% less likely within 30-min walk).
• Rural residents reported significantly lower satisfaction with exercise facility quantity (15.7%), variety (15.7%), fees (8.6%), hours (13.5%), and management (14.7%).
• Dissatisfaction with the local public sports service system was higher among rural residents (16.1%).

Conclusions:

• Significant rural-urban disparities exist in leisure-time physical activity and access to/satisfaction with exercise facilities.
• Policy interventions are crucial to enhance the accessibility and affordability of rural exercise facilities.
• Addressing these disparities can promote physical activity and reduce health inequalities for Chinese rural populations.