title: Socioeconomic status, environmental and individual factors, and sports participation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the contribution of neighborhood, household, and individual factors to socioeconomic inequalities in sports participation in a multilevel design.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were obtained by a large-scale postal survey among a stratified sample of the adult population (age 25-75 yr) of Eindhoven (the fifth-largest city of the Netherlands) and surrounding areas, residing in 213 neighborhoods (N = 4785; response rate 64.4%). Multilevel logistic regression analyses were performed with sports participation as a binary outcome (no vs yes); that is, respondents not doing any moderate- or high-intensity sports at least once a week were classified as nonparticipants.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Unfavorable perceived neighborhood factors (e.g., feeling unsafe, small social network), household factors (material and social deprivation), and individual physical activity cognitions (e.g., negative outcome expectancies, low self-efficacy) were significantly associated with doing no sports and were reported more frequently among lower socioeconomic groups. Taking these factors into account reduced the odds ratios of doing no sports among the lowest educational group by 57%, from 3.99 (95% CI, 2.99-5.31) to 2.29 (95% CI, 1.70-3.07), and among the lowest income group by 67%, from 3.02 (95% CI, 2.36-3.86) to 1.66 (95% CI, 1.22-2.27).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A combination of neighborhood, household, and individual factors can explain socioeconomic inequalities in sports participation to a large extent. Interventions and policies should focus on all three groups of factors simultaneously to yield a maximal reduction of socioeconomic inequalities in sports participation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Erasmus University Medical Centre, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. c.kamphuis@erasmusmc.nl
authors.forename: Carlijn Barbara Maria
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Kamphuis
authors.forename: Frank J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Van Lenthe
authors.forename: Katrina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Giskes
authors.forename: Martijn
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Huisman
authors.forename: Johannes
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Brug
authors.forename: Johan P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Mackenbach
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003625:Data Collection; D004777:Environment; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006304:Health Status; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009043:Motor Activity; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012923:Social Class