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Change in physical activity and health‐related quality of life in old age—A 10‐year follow‐up study
Author(s) -
Jantunen Hanna,
Wasenius Niko,
Salonen Minna K.,
Kautiainen Hannu,
von Bonsdorff Mikaela B.,
Kajantie Eero,
Eriksson Johan G.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
scandinavian journal of medicine and science in sports
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.575
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1600-0838
pISSN - 0905-7188
DOI - 10.1111/sms.13501
Subject(s) - medicine , beck depression inventory , depression (economics) , quality of life (healthcare) , cohort , demography , cohort study , gerontology , comorbidity , physical therapy , anxiety , psychiatry , nursing , economics , macroeconomics , sociology
The aim of the study was to examine the association between change in leisure‐time physical activity (LTPA) and change in health‐related quality of life (HRQoL) and symptoms of depression during a 10‐year follow‐up. This prospective study included 1036 men and women (mean age at baseline = 61.2 years) from the Helsinki Birth Cohort Study. Leisure‐time physical activity was measured with a questionnaire, HRQoL with SF36 and depression symptoms with Beck's depression inventory (BDI). The association between the change in LTPA and change in HRQoL and BDI were investigated with sex‐stratified general linear models adjusted for age, smoking, educational attainment, comorbidity score, and baseline value of outcomes. One standard deviation (SD) increase in LTPA was associated with increase in physical summary component of HRQoL in women ( B = 0.7 unit, 95% CI = 0.1‐1.3, P = 0.032) and in men ( B = 0.8 unit, 95% CI = 0.2‐1.5, P = 0.014). In women, the 1SD increase in LTPA was also associated with an increase in mental summary component score ( B = 1.0, 95% CI = 0.3‐1.7, P = 0.005) and a reduction in depressive symptoms ( B = −0.7, 95% CI = −1.1 to −0.2, P = 0.003). In conclusion, increase in the volume of LTPA over a 10‐year period in late adulthood was associated with improved HRQoL in both men and women, and also diminished depressive symptoms in women. The findings support the promotion of physical activity in later years to enhance HRQoL and mental well‐being.