Published by the Anton Breinl Centre of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, James Cook University CORRELATES OF ADULT PHYSICAL ACTIVITY PARTICIPATION IN THE TROPICS

Background: Understanding socio-environmental correlates of physical activity is important for future planning of health promotion actions to address physical inactivity however there are limited studies that specifically focus on populations living in a tropical environment. Methods: A mailed questionnaire assessing self-report measures of physical activity, barriers, perception of the physical and social environment, self efficacy and social support was administered to 1,930 neighbourhood residents (response rate 22%) in a tropical regional centre in Australia in 2004. Results: Almost 67 % (95 % confidence interval = [62.3, 71.3]) of respondents were sufficiently active for health. Respondents who were sufficiently active for health were more likely to score high on the self-efficacy (p<0.001) and on the social support (p=0.002) scores. Respondents who were sufficiently active for health were more likely to be self-motivated (p=0.010), could be active even when they are tired (p=0.001), have family support to be active (p=0.003), and perceive their neighbourhood as safe for walking (p=0.031). Conclusions: Social variables were more strongly associated with physical activity behaviour than environmental factors