Physical activity patterns among women in rural Alabama.

Objective: To explore factors associated with physically active women in a rural community.

Methods: Physical activity patterns were assessed in 585 women in rural Alabama.

Results: When combining leisure and nonleisure activities, 68% of women reported > or = 150 minutes per week. Active African American women tended to be younger (AOR 0.97), married (AOR 1.75), less likely to report arthritis (AOR 0.58), or give health (AOR 0.30) or motivational reasons (AOR 0.39) for not being more active; active white women were less likely to report lower health perception (AOR 0.51).

Conclusion: Ethnic differences in factors associated with higher activity levels need to be considered in physical activity interventions.