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Socioeconomic status and perceptions of access and safety for physical activity

  • Published:
Annals of Behavioral Medicine

Abstract

Background: Environmental factors may play an important role on influencing physical activity (PA) behaviors.Purpose: Perceptions of access and safety for PA were compared among residents who were stratified as low or high in socioeconomic status (SES).Methods: Residents of a U.S. southeastern county (N = 1,194, 18–96 years of age) were contacted using a random-digit-dial method and asked about neighborhood and community environmental supports for PA. A Geographic Information System (GIS) was used to identify trails, sidewalks, public recreation facilities, and violent crime incidents.Results: A cluster analysis identified 10 census tracts as low SES and 11 census tracts as high SES (median household income, owner-occupied houses). More African Americans (66.5%) than Whites (33.5%) were classified as living in low-SES areas. Respondents from low-SES areas also reported engaging in less PA based on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and American College of Sports Medicine recommendations than respondents from high-SES areas (p < .05). Respondents from low-SES (vs. high-SES) areas reported higher perceptions of neighborhood crime, unattended dogs, unpleasantness of neighborhoods, untrustworthy neighbors, and less access to public recreation facilities (ps < .05). GIS data for presence of sidewalks, recreation facilities, and crime did not support these differences in perceptions; however, respondents from low-SES (vs. high-SES) areas had substantially fewer trails. Having and using trails in one’s community predicted sufficient PA and walking for 150 min/week for low-SES respondents but not for high SES respondents (ps = .05, adjusted for covariates).Conclusions: Having access to trails is an important environmental feature among low-SES communities and should be the focus of future community-based PA interventions.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Prevention Research Center and Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, USA

    Dawn K. Wilson Ph.D.

  2. Prevention Research Center Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, USA

    Karen A. Kirtland Ph.D.

  3. Department of Exercise & Nutritional Sciences, San Diego State University, USA

    Barbara E. Ainsworth Ph.D., M.P.H.

  4. Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, USA

    Cheryl L. Addy Ph.D.

Authors
  1. Dawn K. Wilson Ph.D.
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  2. Karen A. Kirtland Ph.D.
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  3. Barbara E. Ainsworth Ph.D., M.P.H.
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  4. Cheryl L. Addy Ph.D.
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Dawn K. Wilson Ph.D..

Additional information

This project was supported by a grant from the Cardiovascular Health Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cooperative agreement U48/CCU409664-06 (Prevention Research Centers Program). We acknowledge Brent Hutto for providing valuable comments on the article.

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Wilson, D.K., Kirtland, K.A., Ainsworth, B.E. et al. Socioeconomic status and perceptions of access and safety for physical activity. ann. behav. med. 28, 20–28 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1207/s15324796abm2801_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1207/s15324796abm2801_4

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