The correlates of physical activity differ across domains. The authors explored the contribution of domain-specific physical activity to total physical activity and examined how different sociodemographic and social capital-related variables are associated with different physical activity domains in older adults, using nationally representative samples from six low- to middle-income countries. Activity at work and home combined plays an important role in contributing to total physical activity, while leisure-time physical activity accounted for an extremely small proportion. Some correlates of physical activity were similar across countries, such as working status and structural social capital, while other associations were country specific. Promoting structural social capital, trust, and perceived safety may confer positive benefits on older adults’ activity.
Luo, Phongsavan, Bauman, Negin, and Ding are with the Faculty of Medicine and Health, Charles Perkins Centre, Sydney School of Public Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Luo and Zhang are with the School of Public Health, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.