Association between physical activity and life satisfaction among adults with multimorbidity in Canada

Effects of Physical Activity and COVID-19 on Healthy Student Strengths in the University System: Implications for Post-Pandemic Management

The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly affected the physical, mental, and social well-being of millions worldwide. It has also brought about abrupt disruptions to the entire university system, whose students form a crucial segment of society. The pandemic's effects on student education and well-being have been particularly significant. One of the primary consequences has been a drastic reduction in physical activity levels among students, leading to mental and physical health problems. Despite the rapid growth in the literature exploring student experiences during the pandemic, there is a paucity of research on how this decline in physical activity has affected the five strengths of the healthy student: optimism, self-efficacy, resilience, engagement, and hope. Therefore, the aim of this investigation is to examine the relationship between physical activity levels and the five strengths of the healthy student at two different time points (pre-COVID-19 and COVID-19) through the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) and the Healthy Student Questionnaire. The study involved 897 participants, with 290 participating in the pre-COVID-19 phase and 607 participating in the COVID-19 phase. The results revealed significant differences in the five strengths between the two periods. Students who engaged in physical activity exhibited significantly higher optimism scores in the pre-COVID-19 phase. During the COVID-19 phase, physically active students demonstrated significantly higher scores in optimism, resilience, and self-efficacy. These findings provide clear guidance for university administrators seeking to enhance student well-being in a post-pandemic world and in the face of future disruptions. Universities should consider implementing physical exercise programs for their students to promote psychosocial well-being and provide training and resources to equip faculty members with new skills to better understand and support students' perceptions.

Relationships between physical activity and other health-related measures using state-based prevalence estimates

Background

Both physical activity and muscle-strengthening activity have known relationships with other health-related variables such as alcohol and tobacco use, diet, and health-related quality of life (HRQOL). The purpose of this study was to explore and quantify the associations between physical activity measures and health-related variables at the higher state level.

Methods

This cross-sectional study used data from the 2017 and 2019 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System surveys. State-based prevalence (%) estimates were computed for meeting physical activity guidelines (PA), meeting muscle-strengthening activity guidelines (MS), both PA and MS (MB), drinking alcohol (D1), heavy alcohol drinking (HD), fruit consumption (F1), vegetable consumption (V1), good self-rated health (GH), overweight (OW), obesity (OB), current smoking (SN), and smokeless tobacco use (SL). Descriptive statistics, correlation coefficients, and data visualization methods were employed.

Results

Strongest associations were seen between PA and F1 (2017: r=0.717 & 2019: r=0.695), MS and OB (2017: r=-0.781 & 2019: r=-0.599), PA and GH (2017: r=0.631 & 2019: r=0.649), PA and OB (2017: r=-0.645 & 2019: r=-0.763), and MB and SN (2017: r=-0.713 & 2019: r=-0.645). V1 was associated only with PA (2017: r=0.335 & 2019: r=0.357) whereas OW was not associated only with PA. Canonical correlation analysis showed the physical activity variables were directly related (r c=0.884, P<0.001) to the health variables.

Conclusion

This study used high-level data to support the many known relationships between PA measures and health-related variables.

The Relationship between Physical Activity and Life Satisfaction among University Students in China: The Mediating Role of Self-Efficacy and Resilience

(1) Background: Universities play a crucial role in nurturing healthy habits, and physical activity has emerged as a valuable tool for enhancing the life satisfaction, self-efficacy, and resilience of college students. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the mediating role of physical activity in the relationship between life satisfaction and self-efficacy as well as resilience among Chinese university students. (2) Method: This study used the Physical Activity Rating Scale (PARS-3), the Self-Efficacy Scale (CGES), the Mental Toughness Scale (CD-RISC), and the Life Satisfaction Scale (CSLSS) to administer questionnaires to 353 university students from two universities in Chengdu, Sichuan Province. Using a random simple sampling method, the data were processed and analyzed using SPSS 22.0 and Excel software. (3) Results: (1) Physical activity exhibited a significant positive correlation with self-efficacy, resilience, and life satisfaction; self-efficacy was significantly and positively related to resilience and life satisfaction; and resilience was significantly and positively related to life satisfaction. (2) Physical activity had a positive predictive effect on life satisfaction (β = 0.2771; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.1905, 0.3637, 55.51%). (3) Self-efficacy (β = 0.0368; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.0087, 0.0692, 7.37%) and resilience (β = 0.137; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.0919, 0.1894, 27.44%) mediated the relationship between physical activity and life satisfaction. Also, the chain-mediating effect of self-efficacy and resilience between physical activity and life satisfaction reached significant levels (β = 0.0483; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.0279, 0.0745, 9.68%). (4) Conclusion: Active participation in physical activity not only enhanced the life satisfaction of college students but also indirectly impacted their life satisfaction by improving their self-efficacy and resilience. Consequently, this led to an overall improvement in the life satisfaction of college students.

Life satisfaction and its influencing factors for bedridden patients with stroke

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to evaluate the life satisfaction of bedridden patients with stroke and explore its relationship with demographic, social, and medical factors.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

This multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted in two steps. The Longshi scale was used to select the study population and assess patients' ability to perform activities of daily living. Subsequently, a multidimensional questionnaire was used to obtain the participants' information and evaluate their level of life satisfaction. The chi-squared test and binary logistic regression methods were employed to analyze the factors influencing the life satisfaction of bedridden patients with stroke.

RESULTS

A total of 3,639 bedridden patients with stroke were included in this study, of them, only 27.2% reported satisfaction with their current lives. Factors associated with higher life satisfaction include female sex, older age, and primary school education or lower (P<0.05). Patients who had experienced a single stroke episode had chronic diseases, and rated their health as good were more satisfied with their lives than those who did not. The results of the binary logistic regression confirmed that age, education, religion, household income, cohabitation, social participation, number of chronic diseases, self-rated health status, and disability level significantly influenced the life satisfaction of bedridden patients with stroke (P<0.05).

CONCLUSION

Our study showed that the overall life satisfaction of bedridden patients with stroke was low, with several factors influencing their life satisfaction. Therefore, effective measures should be implemented to improve life satisfaction and quality of life.

Improving physical activity and diet in patients with severe mental disorders: Results from the LIFESTYLE multicentric, real-world randomized controlled trial

Aims of the present study are to test the efficacy of a lifestyle group intervention, compared to a brief psychoeducational intervention, on levels of physical activity and dietary habits in a real-world sample of patients with severe mental disorders. The study, funded by the Italian Ministry of Education, has been carried out in six Italian University psychiatric outpatient units. All patients were randomly assigned to the experimental or control group and were assessed through standardized assessment instruments at baseline and six months after randomization. Of the 401 recruited patients, 43.3% had a diagnosis of bipolar disorder, 29.9% of psychosis and 26.9% of major depression. Patients were mainly female (57%), with a mean age of 45.6±11.8 years. Treated patients have almost 8 times the likelihood to show an increase of the total MET (OR: 8.02; p < .001) and of the walking MET (OR: 7.68; p < .001) and are more likely to increase the weekly consumption of vegetables (OR= 1.98, p < .05) and to reduce that of junk food (OR:0.23; p < .05). The present study support the notion that patients with severe mental disorders can improve their lifestyle behaviours and that, with appropriate support, they can achieve a healthy living.