The perception that people at the same age are present
in the park showed association with the practice of
physical activity in parks for boys and girls in crude
analysis but only among girls after adjustment. Among
park users, to have a “network of friends engaged in
physical activities”23, increases the chance to engage in
regular PA. However, different effects measured in boys
and girls suggest that social support plays a distinct role
according to sex, which is supported by literature.
Springer et al.,24 found that among 10 to 14 year-old
girls, engagement of friends in physical activities, aswell as support from family and friends, are positively
associated to moderato-to-vigorous PA. However, it is
likely that among girls, the existence of same-age people
using the park increases the safety perception, which
could partially explain this relationship.
The strong effect of gender as a mediator in the
relationship environment perception and physical activity
was already reported in studies with adults. Bengoechea
et al25 identified that women are more aware
about safety on the streets in the neighborhood than
men, even so this variable was not associated to PA. Inthe current study, safety issues were associated to PAP
among girls, but not among boys. The perception of
“poor lighting” and “people tease me” was associated to
a 40% and 35% higher chance of non engagement in
PAP, respectively. According to Henderson (2005),26 an
environment’s safety is a two-dimension issue, one is
the real safety conditions of the place, another is the
subjective perceived safety concerning people’s feelings
about the place. Even considering that the perception of
safety may be influenced by other people’s opinion, parents
and the media, regardless of how safe the place
actually is, if people think the place is unsafe they will
be less inclined to go there, and as a consequence, less
likely to engage in PA in the park.