Association between leisure walking and perception of the environment in the elderly

The subjects of the study were 213 elderly people living in the urban area of Rio do Sul - SC, aged 60 or over. Leisure-time physical activity was assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), long version, which refers to walking. PA was classified into three levels: inactive (at least 10 minutes a week), insufficiently active (10 to 149 minutes) and physically active (150 minutes or more). The Neighbourhood Environmental Walkability Scale (NEWS) was used to assess the perception of the environment. The prevalence of leisure-time physical activity for elderly people who walk 150 minutes or more a week was 22.1 per cent, 22.6 per cent for women and 20 per cent for men. The proportion of insufficiently active older people was high (77.9%), especially among men (80.0%). There was a significant association between some attributes of the environment and the practice of leisure-time physical activity; however, those who considered the environment to be the most favourable for this practice did not achieve 150 minutes a week. This calls for attention to the implementation of public policies to increase the proportion of active elderly people.