Abstract

PASCUAL, Cruz et al. Material well-being of the province of residence and leisure-time physical inactivity. Gac Sanit [online]. 2005, vol.19, n.6, pp.424-432. ISSN 0213-9111.

Objective: To estimate the association between material wellbeing of the province of residence and leisure-time physical inactivity in the Spanish population aged 16 years and older. Methods: We used data from the Survey on Disabilities, Impairments and Health Status carried out by the Statistical National Institute in 1999. We analyse 24,561 women and 21,133 men. Respondents were classified as inactive if they reported no leisure-time physical activity. The measure of material wellbeing was the per capita income of the province of residence grouped in quartiles. The measure of the association between per capita income and physical inactivity was the odds ratio (OR) estimated from logit multilevel models. Results: Association between per capita income and physical inactivity was observed in people aged 45 years and older. The lower prevalence of physical inactivity was observed in provinces with the higher per capita income. However the higher OR was found in quartile 2 of per capita income, because no significant difference was observed between quartile 4 (richest) and quartile 1 (poorest). After adjusting for socioeconomic characteristics and other individual variables, association remained significant in women and disappeared in men. In women, association between per capita income and physical inactivity was higher in the population group with lower personal income. Conclusions: Results suggest that physical inactivity in women aged 45 years and older could be related not only with individual characteristics but with the socioeconomic context of the area of residence.

Keywords : Per capita income; Material wellbeing; Leisure-time physical inactivity; Multilevel analysis; Spain.

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