title: Neighborhood contextual characteristics and leisure-time physical activity: Pró-Saúde Study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To estimate the association between neighborhood contextual variables and leisure-time physical activity.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were analyzed for 2,674 adults from Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Southeastern Brazil, participating in the longitudinal study in 1999. Leisure-time physical activity in the two preceding weeks was assessed dichotomously. Sex, age, income, education and marital status were analyzed as individual variables. Neighborhood contextual characteristics were the social development index, the Theil index and the proportion of the area occupied by parks, squares and gardens, categorized in quintiles. The unadjusted and adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were estimated using multilevel logistic regression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of leisure-time physical activity was higher in residents in neighborhoods with higher indices of social development (between 32.3% and 53.1%) and a greater proportion of parks, squares and gardens (between 35.8% and 53.1%). Regarding the social development index, the adjusted odds ratios for physical activity were 1.22 (95%CI 0.93;1.61), 1.44 (95%CI 1.09;1.89), 1.75 (95%CI 1.31;2.34) and 2.25 (95%CI 1.70;3.00) for residents in neighborhoods in the second, third, fourth and fifth quintiles, respectively, compared with residents in neighborhoods in the first quintile. The odds ratios for the proportion of parks, squares and gardens were 0.90 (95%CI 0.69;1.19), 1.41 (95%CI 1.04;1.90), 1.63 (95%CI 1.24;2.14) and 1.05 (95%CI 0.80;1.38) for residents in neighborhoods in the second, third, fourth and fifth quintiles. After adjusting for the other variables, only the social development index continued to be associated with leisure-time physical activity, with odds ratios of 1.41 (95%CI 1.02;1.95); 1.54 (95%CI 1.12;2.12); 1.65 (95%CI 1.14;2.39) and 2.13 (95%CI 1.40;3.25) for residents in neighborhoods in the second, third, fourth and fifth quintiles.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Leisure-time physical activity was more common in residents in neighborhoods with higher social development indices. No association was observed between access to leisure areas and income inequality.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Epidemiologia, Instituto de Medicina Social, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.
authors.forename: Karine de Lima Sírio
authors.initials: Kde L
authors.lastname: Boclin
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Epidemiologia, Instituto de Medicina Social, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.
authors.forename: Eduardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Faerstein
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Epidemiologia, Instituto de Medicina Social, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.
authors.forename: Antônio Carlos Monteiro Ponce de
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Leon
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001938:Brazil; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007899:Leisure Activities; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009043:Motor Activity; D012111:Residence Characteristics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult