The association between physical activity and self-rated health in Atlantic Canadians

University Students' Physical Activity: Perceived Barriers and Benefits to Physical Activity and Its Contributing Factors

Introduction

In general, undergraduate university students in the north of Jordan have a low level of physical activity.

Objectives

To examine the physical activity level, perceived barriers and benefits to physical activity, and the contributing factors among university students in north of Jordan.

Methods

A cross-sectional study design was used, and data was collected from 235 university students through a self-reported questionnaire. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) was utilized to calculate the amount of physical activity, while the exercise benefits and barriers scale (EBBS) was used to measure the perceived benefits and barriers of physical activity.

Results

According to the findings, less than half of the students (48.1%) reported engaging in physical activity. Several factors were found to be significantly related to higher levels of physical activity, including being younger, single, having a normal body weight, and reporting excellent health status. Logistic regression analysis revealed that overweight (OR = -0.068, 95% CI 0.025-0.183) and obese (OR = -0.250, 95% CI 0.068-0.924) were less likely to be physically active, while those who rated their health as excellent had higher rates of physical activity (OR = 3.590, 95% CI 1.263-10.201). The students agreed most strongly with the perceived benefit item "Exercise improves the way my body looks," while the perceived barrier item they identified most strongly with was "There are too few places for me to exercise."

Conclusion

This study provides important data for health promotion programs aimed at supporting physical activity among university students.

A Cross-Sectional Study on Self-Perceived Health and Physical Activity Level in the Spanish Population

One-third of the Spanish population over 15 years of age did not achieve a reasonable amount of physical activity (PA) before the COVID-19 pandemic. We aim to analyse the associations between the PA level (PAL) and self-perceived health (SPH) in the Spanish population aged 15−69 years during the pre-pandemic period. A cross-sectional study was conducted using the Spanish National Health Survey 2017 (ENSE 2017) data, with 17,777 participants. We carried out a descriptive analysis, analysed intergroup differences with non-parametric statistical tests, and calculated the Odds Ratio (OR) and Relative Risk (RR) of having a negative SPH according to PAL. In addition, correlations between PAL and SPH were studied, finding associations between them (p < 0.001). Thus, performing moderate and intense PA was related to better SPH than just walking or inactive. Weak and moderate correlations were found between PAL and SPH (p < 0.001). We also found high ORs and RRs of negative SPH as PAL decreased. Moderate and intense PA were related to positive SPH, while the risk of negative perception in inactive people was higher.

Negative Self-Assessment of Health in Women: Association with Sociodemographic Characteristics, Physical Inactivity and Multimorbidity

Introduction: Women present a higher prevalence of negative self-assessment of health (NSAH) when compared to men. However, there is a gap in the literature of factors associated with NSAH in women from developing countries such as Brazil. In addition, few studies have assessed the magnitude of the association between multimorbidity and NSAH in this population. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the association between NSAH and sociodemographic characteristics, lifestyle and multimorbidity in women from the Midwest region of Brazil. Methods: A study based on data from the National Health Survey, a household survey that investigated health situation, lifestyle and risk factors for chronic diseases in the adult population of Brazil, was held. Sampling was performed in multiple stages. The selected women answered a standardized questionnaire on sociodemographic data, self-assessment of health and potential determinants. Poisson regression was used to analyze the association between NSAH and sociodemographic characteristics, lifestyle and multimorbidity. A significance level of 0.05% was established. Results: The study included 4233 women. The prevalence of NSAH found was 6.0% (95% Confidence Interval [95% CI]: 5.1–7.0%). There was an association between NSAH and advancing age, low schooling, physical inactivity and multimorbidity. Furthermore, there was an association between NSAH and diseases/disorders such as chronic back pain, systemic arterial hypertension, mental disorders, depression, cardiovascular diseases, stroke, cancer, hypercholesterolemia and diabetes mellitus. Conclusion: The prevalence of NSAH was low. A strong association was found between this variable and multimorbidity. In addition, increased age, low schooling and physical inactivity were predictors of NSAH in women.

The association between mental health and shift work: Findings from the Atlantic PATH study

We evaluated the relationship between mental health and shift work in the Atlantic Partnership for Tomorrow's Health (PATH) cohort study. In a matched study with 12,413 participants, including 4155 shift workers and 8258 non-shift workers, we utilized general linear models and logistic regression models to assess the differences in depression, anxiety, and self-rated health. Shift workers reported higher levels of each of the mental health-related domains compared to non-shift workers. There was a significant increased risk of depression (OR = 1.13, 95% CI, 1.00-1.27) and poor self-rated health (OR = 1.13, 95% CI, 1.14-1.55) among shift workers compared to non-shift workers. Shift workers were more likely to have increased rates of depression and poor self-rated health, as well as depressive and anxiety symptom scores compared to non-shift workers. As a result, shift workers may be at increased risk of comorbidity, poor quality of life, missed work, and early retirement.

Longer leisure walking time is associated with positive self-rated health among adults and older adults: a Brazilian nationwide study

Background

To verify the association between weekly leisure walking time and positive self-rated health in the Brazilian adult and elderly population.

Methods

This cross-sectional study used information collected in 2019 across all regions of Brazil. This study included 25,785 people aged ≥ 18 years (mean = 51.6; standard deviation = 18.0) from all capitals of the Brazilian states who reported practicing walking as physical activity during leisure time. Self-rated health was the dependent variable (positive or negative). The leisure walking time/week was the main exposure and it was categorized in “150 minutes/week”, “150–299 minutes/week” and “≥ 300 minutes/week”. We used binary logistic regression to estimate odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) that was adjusted for relevant covariates.

Results

We found that individuals who reported leisure walking for a period from 150 to 299 minutes/week and those who reported walking for a period ≥ 300 minutes/week were respectively 28% (OR = 1.28. 95% CI [1.10–1.48]) and 52% (OR = 1.52. 95% CI [1.27–1.82]) more likely of perceiving their health positively compared to those who reported walking for a period < 150 minutes/week. Individuals who reported leisure walking time <150 minutes/week had 72.3% (95% CI [70.4–74.1]) probability of perceiving their health positively. Individuals who reported leisure walking time from 150 to 299 minutes/week had 76.6% (95% CI [75.0 –78.3) probability of perceiving their health positively. On the other hand, individuals who reported leisure walking time ≥ 300 minutes/week had 79.2% probability (95% CI [77.1–81.4]) of perceiving their health positively.

Conclusion

Longer leisure walking time was associated with positive self-rated health among adults and older adults in Brazil.