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Rural-urban disparities in total physical activity, body composition, and related health indicators: An Atlantic PATH study

Forbes, Cynthia C.; Yu, Zhijie Michael; Cui, Yunsong; DeClercq, Vanessa; Grandy, Scott A.; Parker, Louise; Sweeney, Ellen; Dummer, Trevor J. B.; Keats, Melanie R.

Authors

Zhijie Michael Yu

Yunsong Cui

Vanessa DeClercq

Scott A. Grandy

Louise Parker

Ellen Sweeney

Trevor J. B. Dummer

Melanie R. Keats



Abstract

Purpose: To describe and compare the sociodemographic and lifestyle characteristics of urban and rural residents in Atlantic Canada. Methods: Cross-sectional analyses of baseline data from the Atlantic Partnership for Tomorrow's Health cohort were conducted. Specifically, 17,054 adults (35-69 years) who provided sociodemographic characteristics, measures of obesity, and a record of chronic disease and health behaviors were included in the analyses. Multiple linear regression and logistic regression models were used to calculate the multivariable-adjusted beta coefficients (β), odds ratios (OR), and related 95% confidence intervals (CI). Findings: After adjusting for age, sex, and province, when compared to urban participants, rural residents were significantly more likely to: be classified as very active (OR: 1.19, CI: 1.11-1.27), be obese (OR: 1.13, 1.05-1.21), to present with abdominal obesity (OR: 1.08, CI: 1.01-1.15), and have a higher body fat percentage (β: 0.40, CI: 0.12-0.68) and fat mass index (β: 0.32, CI: 0.19-0.46). Rural residents were significantly less likely to be regular or habitual drinkers (OR: 0.83, CI: 0.78-0.89). Significant differences remained after further adjustment for confounding sociodemographic, lifestyle, and health characteristics. No significant differences in smoking behavior, fruit and vegetable intake, multimorbidity, or waist circumference were found. Conclusions: As expected, obesity prevalence was higher in rural Atlantic Canadians. In contrast to much of the existing literature, we found that rural participants were more likely to report higher levels of total physical activity and lower alcohol consumption. Findings suggest that novel obesity prevention strategies may be needed for rural populations.

Citation

Forbes, C. C., Yu, Z. M., Cui, Y., DeClercq, V., Grandy, S. A., Parker, L., …Keats, M. R. (2020). Rural-urban disparities in total physical activity, body composition, and related health indicators: An Atlantic PATH study. Journal of Rural Health, 36(1), 111-119. https://doi.org/10.1111/jrh.12363

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Feb 20, 2019
Online Publication Date Mar 13, 2019
Publication Date Jan 1, 2020
Deposit Date Feb 25, 2019
Publicly Available Date Mar 29, 2024
Journal Journal of Rural Health
Print ISSN 0890-765X
Electronic ISSN 1748-0361
Publisher Wiley
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 36
Issue 1
Pages 111-119
DOI https://doi.org/10.1111/jrh.12363
Keywords Cohort; Epidemiology; Obesity; Physical activity; Rural-urban disparities
Public URL https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/1328446
Publisher URL https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jrh.12363
Additional Information Journal of Rural Health