Abstract
This study aimed to describe the use of physical education services by adults and elderly and to show characteristics of those who did not use these services, as well as to describe the knowledge of the population on the provision of these services in public health policies. It was conducted in Rio Grande (RS) in 2016 with a sample of 1,300 people interviewed using a questionnaire. A total of 16.1% (CI95% 13.0:19.3) of the respondents had used the services in the last three months. Of these, 78% did so in private services, with a predominance of gyms (73.2%). For those who did not, the lack of time was the reason in 31.1%, and 37.7% reported that school was the last contact with a physical education teacher. A total of 18.8% of the population never used physical education services. Knowledge about physical education in public health policies was 15.4% for basic health facilities (UBS) and 13.9% the University Hospital. A low use of physical education services by adults and elderly has been identified, concentrated in private spaces and more accessible to groups of higher income and schooling. Thus, a lack of democratization has been found in the use of this service by the adult and elderly population.
Key words
Health Services; Physical Education and Training; Physical Activity; Research on Health Services; Health Promotion
