Environmental Correlates of Physical Activity in Young Adults

The purpose of this study was to examine the association between environmental correlates and physical activity (PA) levels in young adults. The sample consisted of 369 females and 315 males, aged 24-30 years (84% white; 14% black). Physical activity (hrs/wk) averaged over the past year and number of days of vigorous PA was assessed by questionnaire. Proximity to recreational facilities, home exercise equipment, neighborhood characteristics, and barriers to physical activity were also assessed by questionnaire. Gender-specific analyses were conducted to compare mean scores for each environmental correlate across quartiles of total physical activity and across level of vigorous physical activity. Gender-specific analyses were conducted to examine the odds of a barrier being reported across quartiles of total physical activity and across level of vigorous physical activity. After adjusting for all potential covariates, in females, home exercise equipment was significantly related to vigorous physical activity (OR=1.26, 95% CI=1.10-1.42), and in both genders, proximity to recreational facilities (p=0.005 in males; p=0.012 in females) and home exercise equipment (p<0.001 in males; p