Does physical activity influence health behavior, mental health, and psychological resilience under the moderating role of quality of life?

Abstract

BackgroundPhysical activity significantly influences health-related behaviors, encompassing physical and mental well-being. Physical activity has been linked to enhancing health behavior, mental health, and psychological resilience. The current study is based on participants who were active in physical activity to improve health and well-being.ObjectivesTo examine the influences of physical activity on health behavior, mental health, and psychological resilience, considering the moderating role of quality of life.MethodA thorough cross-sectional online survey was conducted from April 15, 2023, to October 15, 2023. The survey was comprehensive and lasted for six months. The online poll received more than one thousand responses under convenience sampling. The selection criteria for the study were above 21 years old, and participants were active in physical activity to improve health and well-being. The collected data were analyzed using appropriate statistical SPSS-25 and SmartPLS 4.0 software to investigate the proposed research paradigm.ResultsSEM results of model 1 (direct coefficients) show that PA has a positive effect on HeB, MeH, PsR, HeB on MeH, HeB on PsR. Out of six (in model 2), four moderating effects of QOL were significant, and two were statistically insignificant.ConclusionIt has been observed that the quality of life has a moderating role in the relationships between physical exercise and several aspects, such as psychological resilience, mental health, and health-related behavior. It is imperative to emphasize the importance of fostering consistent engagement in physical activity to cultivate a well-balanced and health-conscious way of life.

The importance of regular physical activity in the mental health of the older adults

“…Some recent studies show similar results, as in the findings of Liu et al (2024), who reported that physical activity influences general health behaviors, which leads to an increase in well-being and mental health, ultimately affecting psychological resilience, as demonstrated in a conceptual model proposed.…”

“…Therefore, we can see that in this aging process, maintaining mental and physical health through the practice of physical activity seems to be a great ally in preventing the development and/or progress of psychological and physical illnesses (Chapman et al, 2013;Liu et al, 2024) by increasing autonomy, including in daily life activities of the older adults (Rodrigues et al, 2016). Therefore, physical activity becomes a great ally in maintaining mental health, becoming a modifiable factor in the relationship with constant improvement in cognitive factors in successful aging (Liu et al, 2024;Moore et al, 2015;Rowe and Kahn, 1997;Vecchio et al, 2018).…”