The Facilities Of The Environment In Relation To The ;level Of Physical Sctivity In Two Different Areas Of Sao Paulo- Brazil

Introduction
The literature regarding promotion of physical activity for health has been pointed the environment as an important
factor of influence of a population physical activity level [1]. In this sense the recognition about the facilities as some
aspects of the environment are specifically considered as facilitators of the adoption of a more active lifestyle.
Purpose
So, the purpose of this study was to identify the association between the recognition of the environmental aspects of the
neighborhood with the level of physical activity of two different areas of the São Paulo State, Brazil: one from the coast
area and another from the rural area of the state.

Methods
Household structured interview was conducted in a sample stratified by sex, age and socioeconomic level from the
Program Agita São Paulo Survey. Sample consisted of 400 subject from 5 different Coast Cities (C) of the São Paulo
State (199 men and 201 women) and 400 subjects from 3 cities from the Paraíba Valley area (P.V) rural area of São
Paulo State (187 men and 213 women) in the range of 14-93 years old (x = 37.7 ±16.1 years). All those individuals
answered a questionnaire that was proposed by Sallis in 2002 as part of an international diagnosis about environmental
influence in the population physical activity level. The questionnaire includes 6 questions (A - F) considering people’s
knowledge about the existence of possibilities and/or opportunities that the place where they live offers for the effective
practice of daily physical activity . According to the physical activity level, subjects were classified in accordance with
International Physical Activity Questionnaire - IPAQ [2] [3] in subject Physically Actives and Insufficiently Physically
Actives. The statistical analysis used was the Chi-Square and the level of significance adopted was *p <.05.

Discussion/Conclusion
Between the 7 itens analyzed the recognition of the favorable environment and the practice of physical activity [4],[5]
only 2 (B - Possibility to walk by foot to take the transportation; E- existence of places for free leisure practice) showed
some association among differents areas, but the others didn’t show a significant association; according to (G - physical
activity level) among the ones that reached and the ones that didn´t reach the recommendation according to IPAQ, data
didn’t show an association with the areas that people living. We concluded that the two aspects of the environmental
evidenced by this study are factors that are different according to different areas. However these seem not to have
influenced to an association as the physical activity level among inhabitants of the different areas.

References
[1]. De Bourdeaudhuij I, Sallis JF, Saelens BE. (2003) Enviromental correlates of physical activity in a sample of
Begian adults. Am J Health Promot. Sep-Oct; 18 (1): 83 - 92.
[2]. Craig CL, et all. (2003) International physical activity questionnaire: 12-country reliabi and validity. Med
SciSports Exerc. 35 (8): 1381 - 95.
[3]. Humpel, N.; Owen N.; Leslie E. (2002) Enviromental factors associated with adults’ participation in physical
activity. Am J of Prev Med. April; 22 (3): 188 - 199.
[4]. Saelens BE, Sallis JF, Frank LD. (2003) Enviromental correlates of walking and cycling: fidings from
transportation, urban design, and planning literatures. Ann Behhav Med. Spring; 25 (2): 80 - 91.
[5]. Saelens BE , et. all. (2003) Neighbohood-based differences in physical activity: in an environment scale
evaluation. Am J Public Health. Sep; 93 (9) 1552 - 8.

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