title: Physical activity in three regional communities in Queensland.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe physical activity participation in three Queensland regional communities.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional mail survey of randomly selected residents, stratified by age and sex.
  
  
  METHODS
  Esk, Mareeba and Mount Isa.
  
  
  METHODS
  1219 (58% women) adults, with a mean age 46.7 (standard deviation 14.7) years.
  
  
  METHODS
  Proportion of people inactive, meeting Australian activity guidelines (a minimum of 150 min week(-1) and five sessions week(-1) ) and walking a dog daily; time spent walking and cycling for transport; location and type of recreational physical activities.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall, 18% of respondents were inactive, with the highest proportions among women (22.3%) and older adults in Mount Isa (24.3%). The proportion meeting activity guidelines was 47%, with the lowest proportion among women in Mount Isa (40.4%). Although 63% reported owning a dog, only 22% reported walking a dog daily. Few people reported walking or cycling for transport. The most common types of activities were walking, home-based exercise, running/jogging and swimming, and the most common location was at or near home.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Physical activity levels were lower in these regional communities than the state average. The findings indicate a need for physical activity policy and intervention strategies targeting regional and rural areas. This could focus on women and older adults, dog walking and physical activity opportunities in or near the home.
authors.affiliation: School of Human Movement Studies, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
authors.forename: Wendy J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Nicola W
authors.initials: NW
authors.lastname: Burton
authors.forename: Shannon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sahlqvist
authors.forename: Kristiann C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Heesch
authors.forename: Kylah B
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: McCarthy
authors.forename: Norman
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ng
authors.forename: Jannique G Z
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: van Uffelen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009043:Motor Activity; D011793:Queensland / Q000453:epidemiology; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D057185:Sedentary Behavior; D012737:Sex Factors; D055815:Young Adult