SEX AND AGE DIFFERENCES IN POSSIBLE ENVIRONMENTAL CORRELATES OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN 3 POPULATION BASED SAMPLES

Physical environments are the least studied potential determinants of physical activity. The aims of this study are to investigate sex and age differences in perceived environmental variables, and to study the relationship of environmental variables with physical activity. For 3 age groups, a random sample in Ghent, Belgium, was drawn. 2390 respondents participated: 980 16–25 years olds, 750 35–45 year olds and 660 50–65 year olds. Environmental variables included safety of the neighborhood, difficulty to walk or jog in the neighborhood, knowledge of exercise facilities in the region, and convenience of the facilities. A structured interview assessed leisure time physical activity over one year. Energy expenditure in low, moderate and vigorous activities for the past year were calculated. Knowledge about where facilities can be found declined with age. This decline was not found for perceived convenience of the listed facilities. Males in youngest group were able to locate more facilities (t = 4.83, P < 0.001), and females in the youngest group reported higher convenience (t = 2.82, P < 0.005). Perceived safety to walk alone during the day in the respondents' neighborhoods was high, with a mean of about 3 at a 4-point scale. However, women of all ages perceived their neighborhoods as less safe than men. Respondents of all age groups found it easy to walk or jog in their neighborhood, nothing few problems with dogs, traffic, lack of sidewalks, etc. (mean score above 3 on a 4-point scale). Significant correlations were found between the knowledge about the perceived convenience of facilities, and physical activity of almost all intensities in all three age groups (r between .08 and .32). Correlations with safety of the neighborhood were low but significant for physical activity of low and high intensity in the youngest age group (r = 0.11 and .08), and for physical activity of high intensity and walking in the oldest age group (r = .09). The perceived difficulty to walk or jog in the neighborhood was significantly related to walking and cycling in older adults (r = .10 and .11). Further research is needed to identify other environmental characteristics that may influence physical activity.