title: Sedentary behavior among adults: The role of community belonging.
abstract: Sedentary behavior is a modifiable determinant of health. Little is known about the ways in which contextual factors may influence this behavior. The objectives of this study were to: (1) examine the association between community belonging and adult sedentary behavior during leisure; (2) determine if this association was explained by perceived health. Data were derived from the 2010 Canadian Community Health Survey (N = 11,494 adults). Multinomial regression models and 99% confidence intervals were used to examine associations between sense of community belonging and sedentary behavior, adjusting for sociodemographic variables and perceived health. On average, adults were sedentary for 20-24 h per week during leisure. More than a third of the sample reported low sedentary behavior (≤ 19 h a week). In a fully adjusted model participants who were female, in middle adulthood, married, and/or living in higher income households were less sedentary during leisure. Adults with a strong sense of community belonging were also significantly less sedentary during leisure; this association remained significant after adjustment for perceived mental and overall health. Most efforts to address sedentary behavior have focused on individual-level interventions. The present finding highlights the role that larger contextual factors may play in sedentary behavior. Sense of community belonging is a contextual determinant of health that may serve as a useful target for interventions designed to reduce adult sedentary behavior during leisure.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, 1-002 Katz Group Centre for Pharmacy and Health Research, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E1, Canada.
authors.forename: Scott
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Lethbridge, 4401 University Drive, Lethbridge, AB T1K 3M4, Canada.
authors.forename: Cheryl L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Currie
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Kinesiology and Physical Education, Faculty of Arts and Science, University of Lethbridge, 4401 University Drive, Lethbridge, AB T1K 3M4, Canada.
authors.forename: Jennifer L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Copeland
keywords: Community belonging; Contextual factors; Perceived health; Sedentary behavior