Self-Perception of Health and Physical Activity Level of Physical Exercise Practitioners

Abstract

The practice of physical activity (PA) can be performed in various places such as outdoor gyms, squares and parks. The increase in the number of public places for the practice of PA has repercussions on the regularity of such activities, which directly influence the self-perception of health and the level of physical activity of the practitioners. The present study aimed to analyze the self-perception of health and the level of physical activity (LPA) of adults who perform physical activities outdoors (PAO) in the eastern area of Teresina-PI. The sample consisted of 101 AFAL practitioners at three sites in the eastern zone of Teresina-PI. For the data collection, a questionnaire adapted was used, aiming to collect information to characterize the sample and self-perception of health. IPAQ (International Physical Activity Questionnaire) was also used to evaluate LPA. In the data analysis a descriptive statistic was performed, followed by the chi-square test to verify associations between the qualitative variables. The statistical program used was STATA 12.0 and the level of significance was 5%. On self-perception of health, it can be observed that 41.58% of PAO practitioners are satisfied with their health. Regarding LPA, 49.5% were classified as physically active individuals. Given the above, it can be concluded that, although most PAO practitioners are satisfied or very satisfied with their health, few were classified as very active. Also, it can be observed that even the population investigated try to access adequate public spaces for physical exercise, less than half are still classified as active or very active.