A person’s physical and social environment is considered as an influencing factor in terms of rates of engagement in physical activity. This study analyses the influence of socio-demographic, physical and social environmental factors on physical activity reported in the adult population in Andalusia. This is a cross-sectional study using data collected in the Andalusia Health Survey in 1999 and 2003. In addition to the influence of the individual’s characteristics, if there are no green spaces in the neighbourhood it is less likely that men and women will take exercise (OR = 1.26; 95% CI = 1.13, 1.41). Likewise, a higher local illiteracy rate also has a negative influence on exercise habits in men (OR = 1.39; 95% CI = 1.21, 1.59) and in women (OR = 1.22; 95% CI = 1.07, 1.40). Physical activity is influenced by individuals’ characteristics as well as by their social and physical environment, the most disadvantaged groups are less likely to engage in physical activity.
Keywords: physical activity, social environment, socio-economic factors, environment, Spain
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1. Introduction
There is a large amount of evidence that shows that physical activity benefits a person’s health. Physical activity can be helpful for health promotion, rehabilitation and the prevention of different diseases such as heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes mellitus and osteoporosis, and can of course be extremely important for obese patients [1,2]. Sedentariness is one of the most important cardiovascular risk factors, and cardiovascular diseases were the leading cause of death in Spain in 2007, representing 32.2% of all deaths [3].
Over recent years, an increased number of studies have been carried out which examine the factors which influence physical activity, with particular emphasis on the social and physical environment [4,5]. Such studies not only take into consideration the characteristics of individuals, but also those of the environment in which they live.
The influence of social inequalities on physical activity has now been widely researched, and work has been carried out to examine the effects of the social status and environmental context of the studied individuals on their exercise habits [6–8]. Thus, the influence of the social class of individuals [9] and the socio-economic characteristics of the geographic area in which they live [10] is now examined in order to demonstrate that the principal factors influencing health-related habits such as physical activity are environmental in nature and combine to create an unequal socio-economic background for those involved [11–13]. These factors lead to disparities in the level of physical activity carried out and consequently to disparities in levels of health.
Even more recently studies have been carried out into the influence of the physical environment. In the literature the concept of physical environment has been defined as the existence of and physical accessibility to centres such as gyms, swimming pools and leisure centres; “informal spaces” that form part of a neighbourhood’s facilities such as open public spaces, and the layout and use of buildings; or aspects regarding traffic, safety and attractiveness of neighbourhoods and local areas [9,14–16]. These studies have not simply used objective measurements such as the existence, accessibility or proximity of such facilities. They have also shown that the perceptions and opinions of individuals about their environment are related to the extent to which they engage in physical activity [6,15,17,18]. Furthermore, it has even been shown that people who believe that their environment is suitable for taking physical exercise are more likely to perceive that they have a good level of health [2]. Studies conducted throughout Europe have found that Spain is one of the countries where the least physical activity is carried out, where people’s attitudes towards exercise are more negative and where individuals feel that their environment offers them few opportunities [19,20]. Despite this, no studies have been undertaken in Spain regarding the relationship between the physical and social environment and rates of physical activity