Exercise inequality is getting worse, 10-year study finds – Earth.com
08-01-2026
Exercise inequality is getting worse, especially for disadvantaged women
ByAndrei Ionescu
Earth.com staff writer
A decade-long study of São Paulo residents reveals growing inequality in leisure-time exercise, with the gap between social groups only getting wider
Highly educated white men are exercising more than ever, while women of color with lower levels of education remain stuck with the lowest rates of leisure-time physical activity
Walking as a form of transportation, by contrast, turns out to be distributed far more evenly across the population
The study was led by scientists at the University of São Paulo (USP)
The team followed 978 participants from 2014 to 2024, collecting data at three separate points in time: 2014/15, 2020/21, and 2023/24
The roots of exercise inequality
While researchers in the Global North have already studied how social factors shape sports participation, this research stands out as a pioneering effort in its own context.
The researchers examined how overlapping social characteristics, known as intersectional social identities, shape people’s opportunities over time
Based on those findings, they argue that public policies promoting physical and recreational activity should prioritize the most vulnerable groups
“We concluded that engaging in physical activity for leisure doesn’t depend solely on motivation or individual choice. It’s shaped by environmental, structural, and social factors,” said corresponding author Andreia Alexandra Machado Miranda, a nutritionist at USP.
“We found that inequalities persisted and the gap between groups widened over ten years of follow-up.”
“Unfortunately, this type of activity remains a privilege of the most socially advantaged groups, which we identified as white men with higher levels of education.”
“Conversely, the most vulnerable are Black, Brown, Asian, or Indigenous women with fewer years of schooling.”
Exercise depends on more than willpower
Florindo explained the findings using the ecological model of physical activity. This approach helps researchers identify the underlying factors that determine whether someone actually exercises
“We work with the ecological model of physical activity, whose main objective is to explain it in terms of its determinants,” Florindo said.
“Engaging in it doesn’t depend solely on people’s willingness but also involves the experiences they may have throughout their lives.”
“There’s a significant gap between those who are able to engage in physical activity during their leisure time and those who aren’t, even if they want to.”
The numbers illustrate just how wide that gap has become. Leisure-time physical activity prevalence stood at 51 percent among highly educated white men and 29 percent among the most vulnerable group during the first survey.
Barriers keep women inactive
Miranda points to specific obstacles that make exercise particularly difficult for women to prioritize.
“In addition to dealing with an unequal distribution of domestic work, they often earn lower wages and face a lack of safety when visiting public spaces.”
“Depending on the neighborhood where they live, especially in outlying areas, there’s a lack of urban infrastructure, poorly lit areas, and few open spaces.”
To capture these overlapping factors, the researchers combined in-person and remote interviews with the long version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire and a Multiple Jeopardy Index.
This index incorporates data on sex, race or skin color, and educational attainment into a single score ranging from 0, least vulnerable, to 4, most vulnerable
Exercise as a public health issue
Beyond boosting physical and mental well-being generally, regular exercise carries substantial health benefits.
It reduces the risk of stroke and cardiovascular <a href="https://healthylife7.com/gene-edited-car-t-expands-rare-disease-horizons/” title=”Gene-Edited CAR T Expands Rare Disease Horizons”>disease, helps with weight control and managing metabolic conditions like diabetes, and supports immune function
The World Health Organization recommends that adults get 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity activity each week
Alternatively, they can aim for 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity. Activities include walking, running, swimming, cycling, dancing, and team sports
Yet recent data shows nearly a third of adults worldwide, roughly 1.8 billion people, failed to meet these minimum recommendations in 2022, the most recent year with available global data
Sedentary lifestyles are linked to approximately 5 million deaths annually
In Brazil, data from the country’s Ministry of Health showed that 42.3 percent of adults got at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity each week in 2024. The country aims to raise that figure to 50.7 percent by 2030
Broken down by sex, the current rates stand at 47.7 percent for men and 37.9 percent for women
Commuting levels the playing field
The research team also examined walking specifically as a mode of transportation, and here the pattern looked entirely different.
The study found no significant correlation between the social vulnerability index and physical activity tied to commuting
Overall participation in walking for transportation actually increased over the study period, rising from 61.8 percent to 71.6 percent between the first and third assessments
This activity proved most common among young Black or mixed-race men with a high school education, a demographic profile quite different from the one dominating leisure-time exercise
“It’s possible that factors such as access to public transportation, neighborhood characteristics, and socioeconomic conditions influence this type of commuting.”
“However, our study found no statistically significant association between the social vulnerability index and this type of physical activity.”
The researchers note that walking for commuting fits naturally into daily routines. It also offers public health benefits and encourages people to use public and shared transportation instead of private cars
The geography of exercise inequality
The study’s initial sample came from the São Paulo Municipal Health Survey
The survey gathers data on health and service use to inform public policy. It later evolved into the longitudinal ISA Physical Activity and Environment Study, which followed the same population for a full decade
The sample was stratified across five health zones within São Paulo, a city marked by pronounced socio-spatial inequality.
Roughly 963,700 households, home to 22.5 percent of the city’s residents, sit in areas classified as having high or very high social vulnerability according to the São Paulo Index of Social Vulnerability
While not the direct focus of this particular study, earlier research has shown that socially vulnerable areas in São Paulo also face greater exposure to heat islands
This pattern is concentrated in outlying eastern, northern, and southern zones that run measurably hotter than the rest of the city
Making exercise more accessible
Given this backdrop, the authors emphasize the need for integrated public policies that promote health equity and expand opportunities for physical activity, aligning with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
Florindo points to São Paulo’s recent expansion of bike lanes as one example of a policy already showing measurable results, having encouraged more residents to cycle.
A separate study he coordinated found that having a bike lane within 1,640 feet (500 m) of someone’s home was a key factor in encouraging cycling
The research group continues mining this dataset to examine other variables connected to health and physical activity
The study is published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity
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