Perceived neighbourhood environmental characteristics and physical activity according to socioeconomic status in adolescent girls.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to analyse the associations between physical activity (PA) and several characteristics of the built environment with socioeconomic status (SES) in adolescent girls.


METHODS
The sample comprised 599 girls (mean age 14.7, SD = 1.6 years) living in the Aveiro Region of Portugal. Questionnaires were used to describe physical activity level and perceived neighbourhood environments. SES was established by maternal education level. Girls were grouped into low, middle or high SES group.


RESULTS
Logistic regression analysis showed that girls assigned to the higher SES group were more likely (OR = 2.4; 95%CI = 1.3-4.5) to belong to the active group than their low SES peers. Girls in high (OR = 2.4; 95%CC = 1.3-4.4) and medium (OR = 1.6; 95%CC = 1.14-2.3) SES groups were more likely to have a higher perception of better aesthetics in their neighbourhoods than their low SES peers and higher SES was also associated with better perception of a street connectivity (OR = 2.9; 95%CI = 1.7-5.4).


CONCLUSIONS
The study showed that girls of higher SES are more active than those of lower SES and that social background might be associated with differences in neighbourhood environmental perceptions.
Research Centre in Physical Activity, Health and Leisure, Faculty of Sports, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Plácido Costa 91, Porto, Portugal. jmota@fade.up.pt
Jorge
J
Mota
Rute
R
Santos
Margarida
M
Pereira
Laetitia
L
Teixeira
Maria Paula
MP
Santos
D000293:Adolescent; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004522:Educational Status; D004777:Environment; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D009043:Motor Activity; D011174:Portugal; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012923:Social Class; D012931:Social Environment; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires