Associations between Social and Physical Environments, and Physical Activity in Adults from Urban and Rural Regions

Abstract

Objectives This study investigates investigated the relationship between social and physical environments, and moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) amongst adults in both rural and urban areas within Korea. Methods A sample of 128,735 adults from the 2013 Community Health Survey (CHS) was analyzed using a multilevel logistic analysis. Results Urban residents with higher satisfaction in public transportation satisfaction and rural residents with more access to sports parks, hiking trails, and bike cycle paths were more likely to be active. The MVPA of adults from rural areas correlated urban adults was uncorrelatedwith neighborhood factors, but that of rural adults was whereas no correlations were observed in adults from urban areas. Conclusion These differences should be considered when developing interventions strategies to enhance adult physical activity in different communities.

Keywords

• adults
• multilevel analysis
• physical activity
• physical environment
• social environment