Association between sociodemographic and health factors and the practice of walking in a rural area

The regular practice of walking can contribute to a better quality of life, reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease. Objective: To assess the association between sociodemographic and health factors related to adult practice of walking in the Brazilian rural context. Methods: Cross-sectional study of 567 adults. The outcome variable was the regular practice of walking (>= 150 minutes per week) and the explanatory variables were sociodemographic factors, anthropometric measures, laboratory tests and self-perceived health. The chi-square test and Poisson regression were used in analysis, considering p <= 0.05. Results: Only 34.7% of the population practices walking regularly. Women (PR 0.84, 95% CI 0.78-0.89), age of 31-45 years (OR 1.11, 95% CI 1.02-1.22, comparing to 18-30 years), and self-perception of poor/fair health (OR 0.90, 95% CI 0.84-0.97 comparing to people with great/good health) remained independently associated with regular practice of walking. Conclusion Age between 31 and 45 years and males were positively associated with walking and the perception of poor/fair health had negative association. These findings may suggest that public policies to encourage physical activity in urban areas should also be applied to rural areas.