Physical activity and inactivity during leisure time in the adult population of Monterrey (Nuevo Leon, Mexico)

The main aim of this study is to examine the behaviours during physical activity according with genre, age, and the level of education of the inhabitants of the municipality of Monterrey (Mexico). A transversal study is presented. The sample comprised 1, 008 individuals of 15 years old or older (498 male= 49.4% and 510 female= 50.6%). The rank of age was comprised between 15 and 87 years old (M= 36.57; SD= 17.05). To collect the data the technique of survey was used through an ad hoc questionnaire called "Physical-sport habits and life styles." The results of the study revealed a proportion of sedentary subjects twice superior to those active subjects, that is, just a third part of the active population. The results revealed important differences between genre (p=.001), age groups (p=.000), and level of education (p=.000) in the three behaviours (active, abandonment, and never). Male, between 15 and 29 years old, and those with university education are those that presented higher percentages in the active behaviour. On the other hand, women, in the group of 45 to 59 years old, and those with high school completed are those that presented the highest rates of abandonment. Finally, women, in the group of 60 years old and older, and those subjects without education, or with elementary education, are those that to a greater extent never had performed physical-sport activity. These results can serve as a base for the designing of strategies that promote the adherence to exercise taking into consideration its own characteristics.