Associação entre a percepção do ambiente construído e os comportamentos agrupados de atividade física e comportamento sedentário na pessoa idosa alagoana

Abstract

The perception of the built environment emerges as a central element in understanding the factors that influence physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SB) in older adults. The objective of the present study is to associate the perception of the built environment, physical activity, and sedentary behavior in a clustered manner among elderly individuals from Alagoas. This is a crosssectional, observational, analytical, and descriptive population-based study. The sample consisted of individuals aged 60 years or older, of both sexes, residing in Maceió and 10 other municipalities in the state of Alagoas. The built and perceived environment was assessed using the Neighborhood Environment Walkability Scale (NEWS), and the level of leisure-time PA and SB, based on time spent sitting, was assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). PA and SB were grouped into: “worst behavior” (physically inactive and high SB), “intermediate behavior” (physically inactive and low SB; physically active and high SB), and “best behavior” (physically active and low SB). The total sample consisted of 844 older adults, of whom 66.0% were female and 50.1% were between 60 and 69 years old. Among the participants, 69.3% were inactive and 30.7% were active; 64.1% had low SB, and 35.9% had high SB. Notably, 28.6% (n = 241) belonged to the worst behavior group, 45.4% (n = 383) to the intermediate behavior group, and 26.1% (n = 220) to the best behavior group. It was observed that older adults who reported the presence of sidewalks were 87% more likely to belong to the best behavior group (OR = 1.86; 95% CI: 1.05–3.30). Similarly, the presence of green areas increased the likelihood of being in the best behavior group by 62% (OR = 1.62; 95% CI: 1.05–2.50). On the other hand, nighttime safety showed a negative association—older adults who reported feeling safe at night were 37% less likely to be in the best behavior group (OR = 0.63; 95% CI: 0.41–0.98). The findings of this study confirm that older adults who have a positive perception of the presence of sidewalks and green areas in their neighborhoods are more likely to engage in physical activity and spend less time in sedentary behavior.