Investigating the environmental, behavioural, and sociodemographic determinants of attendance at a city-wide public health physical activity intervention: Longitudinal evidence over one year from 185,245 visits

Understanding the determinants of attendance at public health interventions is critical for effective policy development. Most research focuses on individual-level determinants of attendance, while less is known about environmental-level determinants. Data were obtained from the Leeds Let's Get Active public health intervention in Leeds, England. Longitudinal data (April 2015–March 2016) on attendance were obtained for n = 25,745 individuals (n = 185,245 total visits) with baseline data on sociodemographic determinants and lifestyle practices obtained for n = 3621 individuals. This resulted in a total of n = 744,468 days of attendance and non-attendance. Random forests were used to explore the relative importance of the determinants on attendance, while generalised linear models were applied to examine specific associations (n = 3621). The probability that a person will attend more than once, the number of return visits, and the probability that a person will attend on a particular day were investigated. When considering if a person returned to the same leisure centre after one visit, the most influential determinant was the distance from their home. When considering number of return visits overall however, age group was the most influential. While distance to a leisure centre was less important for predicting the number of return visits, the difference between estimates for 300 m and 15,000 m was 7–10 visits per year. Finally, calendar month was the most important determinant of daily attendance. This longitudinal study highlights the importance of both individual and environmental determinants in predicting various aspects of attendance. It has implications for strategies aiming to increase attendance at public health interventions.