Aging and physical activity practice: influence of gender

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between physical activity and gender at persons of 50-79 years of age (743 women, 246 men), accustomed to practicing physical activity in locations with professional supervision (LPS) for physical activities and locations without professional supervision (LWS) at Campinas/SP. A questionnaire was applied including open and closed questions, and descriptive analyses and Qui-square test were performed with a level of statistical significance set at 5%. Females were the majority(88.7%) at LPS. In LSS the levels were similar for men(49.7%) and women(50.3%). The majority of men practiced physical activities and were sufficiently active (SA) for all ages considered. Women presented 52.0% of insufficiently active (IA) and SA(48.0%). The differences between gender that accompany physical practice during the aging process can be explained, in part, by historical and social analyses. It's undeniable that these differences should be considered in the planning, execution and evaluation of programs for this population.