BACKGROUND: Leisure time physical activity (LTPA), defined as any type of bodily movement performed during leisure time, is associated with a reduction in the risk for many cardiovascular injuries. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the existence of an association between leisure time physical activity (LTPA) and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in adults, in the city of Salvador, State of Bahia, Brazil. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study, with a sample of 822 men and women, aged > 20 years. Active in leisure time were those with a self-reported practice of physical activities in leisure time; high serum CRP levels were those with values > 3.0 mg/l. Logistic regression analysis was used to compute the odds ratio (OR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI). RESULTS: Using multivariate analysis to adjust for potential confounders, we found an OR of 0.73 (0.68-0.79) among the men which shows the existence of an association between LTPA and high CRP levels only in male individuals. After a stratification by gender, obesity, diabetes and smoking habit, we found an association between LTPA and high CRP in non-obese and non-diabetic male smokers or former smokers; and in obese and non-smoking females. CONCLUSION: The results of this study may bring contributions to public health, since they can be used to raise awareness of the importance of LTPA as a prospective strategy for population health improvement.