Associations Between Socioeconomic Factors and Regular Exercise in Japanese Adults: A Cross-Sectional Analysis

Physical inactivity is a high-priority public health issue because of its negative impact on quality of life and well-being. Although socioeconomic factors (SEF) are known to influence physical activity, few studies have explored their association with regular exercise (RE). This gap highlights the need for further research on the associations between SEF and RE.

This cross-sectional study used secondary data from the 2022 Sasakawa Sports Foundation National Sports-life Survey conducted in June and July 2022. The dependent variable was RE, and the independent variables were SEF (education, income, and occupation). A modified Poisson regression analysis was performed.

The data of 2318 participants (53% male) with a mean (SD) age of 51 (16) years were analyzed. Those with higher education, higher income, and certain types of occupations were more likely to engage in RE. Subgroup analysis revealed differences in the associations with age, sex, and city size.

This study showed that individuals with higher SEF, such as education and income, generally had higher levels of RE. However, part-time worker or nonworker individuals were more likely to be engaged in RE than employees. Each SEF may be differently associated with RE; and therefore, public health interventions should be tailored to specific subgroups defined by SEF to promote RE and reduce health inequalities.