[Leisure time physical activity and its association with demographic variables and other behaviors related with...

To describe leisure-time physical activity at the levels considered more beneficial for health and to analyze the association with sociodemographic variables and other health behaviors, among the population older than 14 years in Barcelona, Spain.

A sample of 4,171 adults answered the Health Interview Survey of Barcelona in 1992. Those who had participated less than three times (20 minutes at least) in moderate and/or intense exercise in the week before to the interview were considered inactive. Bivariate and multivariate analyse using logistic regression were used to study the association of leisure-time physical activity and the study variables.

80.7% of population older than 14 years in Barcelona participated less than three times in moderate and/or intense leisure-time physical activity and 20% did not participate in any exercise. Inactivity was higher in women, and increased significantly with age and in people with a low socioeconomic level. Men and women with incomplete primary studies were more likely to be inactive than people with graduate studies (ORa-adjusted odds ratio-1.8, 95% confidence interval-CI-: 1.1-2.9 and 1.5, 95% CI: 1.0-2.4 respectively). For men working eight or more hours with interruption per day the ORa for inactivity was 1.9 (95% CI: 1.2-2.9) with respect to men working less than eight hours without interruption. Smoking men were more inactive than non smokers.

These result suggest that health promotion programmes to promote physical activity for adult in Barcelona should facilitate the incorporation of older people, women, people with low socioeconomic level and the working population, besides reinforcing sports habits among the youngest population.