The economic and social determinants of participation in physical activity in Brazil

This paper examines the economic and social factors that influence the frequency of participation in physical activity in Brazil. Employing a modified allocation of time framework, we use data sourced from the 2015 Brazilian National Household Sample Survey to analyse the frequency of participation in physical activity for men and women between the age of 18 and 64. Using a conventional ordered logistic regression model, our results suggest that several economic and social factors influence the frequency of physical activity participation in Brazil. For instance, we find that household income has a very small but positive effect on the frequency of participation in physical activity while, in contrast, full-time employment and caring for dependent children have a larger negative for both men and women. Thus, social policies designed to make physical activity more convenient in the workforce may help to facilitate more frequent participation in physical activity.