OBJECTIVES: To describe types of leisure-time physical activities and to analyze the profile of their practitioners. METHODS: Cross-sectional population-based survey comprising individuals aged 20 years or over, resident in Pelotas, Brazil. The outcome was the type of leisure physical activity performed in the week before the interview. Crude and adjusted associations with demographic and socioeconomic characteristics and with body mass index (BMI) were conducted through chi-square and Poisson regression, respectively. RESULTS: Overall, 3,136 individuals were interviewed, of which 1,239 (40%) reported performing some leisure-time physical activity, corresponding to the denominator of this study. The great majority (91%) performed only one physical activity. Walking was the most practiced, being reported by 57% of those engaged in some physical activity. The following most frequent activities were: soccer (14%), cycling (13%), weight lifting (8%), and gymnastics (6%). Median of weekly frequency was 3 days, while median of daily duration was 60 minutes. More than a half (56%) reported performing physical activity with moderate-to-vigorous intensity. However, only 30% achieved the guidelines for adults and elderly. When the period of practice was considered, 53% were engaged in leisure physical activity for more than six months. The most common motivation was health reasons. CONCLUSIONS: Less than half of the investigated population was engaged in leisure-time physical activity. Walking was the most frequent modality for every examined group. Differences in the demographic and socioeconomic profile were observed according to the type of physical activity.
Motor activity; Exercise; Sport; Leisure activities; Epidemiology; Health promotion; Cross-sectional study; Brazil
