The aim of the study was to determine associations between physical activity, abdominal obesity and purchase of medicines by users of the Brazilian public healthcare system of the city of Bauru/SP. The sample was composed of adults aged 50 years and through face-to-face interview were collected information about drug utilization, physical activity, economic status and smoking habits. Body mass index and abdominal perimeter composed markers of general and abdominal obesity. The main results found that the purchase of drugs was higher among women, people over 65, non-smokers and those with abdominal obesity. Inversely, active individuals bought fewer medicines when compared to physically inactive. Finally, when physical inactivity and abdominal obesity were aggregated into a single variable, only people physically inactive and physically inactive with abdominal obesity had increased chances of buying drugs in the last month.
Motor activity; Obesity; Drug utilization