Correlates of leisure-time physical activity differ by body-mass-index status in Brazilian adults.
OBJECTIVE
The objective of this study was to evaluate physical activity (PA) levels in adults and their association with sex, age, and education level across categories of body mass index (BMI).


METHODS
We conducted a population-based, cross-sectional study including 3100 individuals age >20 years living in Pelotas, Brazil. PA was assessed using the leisure-time section of the long International Physical Activity Questionnaire. "No PA" was defined as zero minutes of activity/ week; "insufficient PA" was defined as <150 minutes of activity/week; "high PA" was defined as > or =500 minutes of activity/week. BMI was categorized into normal (<25 kg/m2), overweight (25-29.9 kg/m2), and obesity (>or =30 kg/m2).


RESULTS
The prevalence of insufficient PA was 71.6% among normal BMI subjects, 71.3% among overweight individuals, and 73.7% among obese ones (P = .67). No PA and high PA were also not associated with BMI. The associations between sex, age, and education level and PA levels tended to be stronger among normal-weight individuals compared with overweight and obese individuals. Among the obese, most associations were not significant. Among normal-weight individuals, higher PA levels were observed in men, young adults, and those with higher education.


CONCLUSIONS
Variables associated with leisure-time PA differed between normalweight, overweight, and obese individuals. Studies on PA correlates might benefit from stratifying by BMI.
Hallal
Pedro Curi
PC
Universidade Federal de Pelotas, RS, Brazil.
Reichert
Felipe Fossati
FF
Siqueira
Fernando Vinholes
FV
Dumith
Samuel Carvalho
SC
Bastos
Juliano Peixoto
JP
da Silva
Marcelo Cozzensa
MC
Domingues
Marlos Rodrigues
MR
Azevedo
Mario Renato
MR
Ekelund
Ulf
U
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007899:Leisure Activities; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009043:Motor Activity; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014504:Urban Health; D055815:Young Adult