Equitable Access to Exercise Facilities
Melvyn Hillsdon, PhD, Jenna Panter, BSc, Charlie Foster, PhD, Andy Jones, PhD
Background:
Leisure-time physical activity patterns are low and socially patterned. Ecologic studies of the
provision of exercise facilities indicate that in areas of deprivation, there is a trend toward
reduced availability of exercise facilities compared with more affluent areas. Existing
studies are restricted to single geographic areas or regions. In this study, national-level data
were used to examine the relationship between neighborhood deprivation and the density
of physical activity facilities in England.
Methods:
A database of all indoor exercise facilities in England was obtained, and facilities were
linked to administrative areas and assigned a deprivation score. Census data were used to
calculate the density of physical activity facilities per 1000 people per quintile of
deprivation. The exercise facilities data were collected in 2005, and the analysis was
conducted in 2006.
Results:
When all 5552 facilities were considered, there was a statistically significant negative
relationship (p<0.001) between area deprivation score and the density of physical activity
facilities. A similar relationship was observed when public and private facilities were
examined separately. When only swimming pools were examined, a negative association
was observed for public pools (p<0.0001) but not those that were private (p=0.50), which
were more evenly distributed among quintiles of area deprivation.
Conclusions:
The availability of physical activity facilities declines with level of deprivation. Areas in most
need of facilities to assist people live physically active lifestyles have fewer resources.
(Am J Prev Med 2007;32(6):506–508) © 2007 American Journal of Preventive Medicine