The Association Between Level of Physical Activity and Body Mass Index, and Quality of Life Among Elderly Women

Abstract

The process of aging leads to changes in functional abilities, fitness levels, level of physical activity, and body mass index (BMI), all of which causes changes in the quality of life. The current study aims to determine the association between the level of physical activity (PA) and BMI, and quality of life (QoL) among elderly women. The total sample numbered 156 women, with an average age of 67.7 ± 5.6 years. To determine the level of physical activity, the self-reported International Physical Activity Questionnaire Long Form (IPAQ-LF), was used. To calculate the values of the BMI, the standard procedure recommended by the World Health Organization was used. Quality of life was evaluated using the short form of the WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire designed by the World Health Organization. All the data were processed using the statistical package for data analysis SPSS 20.0. Pearson’s correlation analysis shows statistically significant relations at the level of p < 0.01 between PA and Physical health in Housework = 0.36, Leisure time PA = 0.27, Walking = 0.24, Moderate PA 0.43, Total PA = 0.43, while the correlations between the variables at the significance level of p < 0.05 were determined in PA in transportation = 0.19 and High-intensity PA = 0.16. Multiple linear regression analysis of different levels of PA as independent variables on individual domains of QoL shows that there is an association of PA and Physical health (Sig = 0.000), more precisely, Total PA is statistically the most closely related to Physical health (Sig = 0.000), and then follows PA at work and Social relations (Sig = 0.036). Similar results were obtained when BMI is added to model A. In contrast to model A, model B shows a statistically significant association between PA and BMI with the environmental domain of QoL (Sig = 0.001). The results of the current study indicate that high- and moderate-intensity physical activity both have benefits for physical health, whereas moderate PA showed higher significance levels. Results also show that elderly women with higher BMI values achieve better results in the environmental domain of QoL.

BMI, Body Image, and Quality of Life—Moderating Role of Physical Activity

“…Furthermore, even the statistically significant associations differed from those established in previous research. Thus, no statistically significant associations were found between physical activity and physical health, contrary to the findings from earlier studies [14,48]. The data would be more understandable if the respondents were young, but this was a sample of middle-aged individuals.…”

“…However, some authors argue that the determination of whether physical activity enhances QoL is impossible because this construct cannot be effectively operationalized and assessed [12]. The positive associations between physical activity and perceptions of QoL vary depending on the domains of QoL assessed [13], as well as the intensity of physical activity [14]. Namely, in the working population, according to Puciato, Borysiuk, and Rozpara [15], physical activity of moderate and high intensity was positively associated with QoL, while in an elderly population, this association was only found with activities of moderate intensity [14,16].…”

“…The positive associations between physical activity and perceptions of QoL vary depending on the domains of QoL assessed [13], as well as the intensity of physical activity [14]. Namely, in the working population, according to Puciato, Borysiuk, and Rozpara [15], physical activity of moderate and high intensity was positively associated with QoL, while in an elderly population, this association was only found with activities of moderate intensity [14,16]. Meanwhile, in the research of Slimani, Paravlic, Mbarek, Bragazzi, and Tod [17], the relations of total physical activity, activities of moderate and high intensity, and all domains of QoL were established.…”

Promoting Healthy Behaviors in Older Adults to Optimize Health-Promoting Lifestyle: An Intervention Study

“…This phenomenon should focus on BMI, because BMI is more important than weight and height can better show health problems, but neither of them can diagnose the health status of the individual [ 52 ], so it will not affect the detection results of the smart bracelet. The main difference lies in the BMI level of the participants; some studies have pointed out that the BMI of older adults is negatively correlated with walking distance [ 53 , 54 , 55 ]. Although there were differences in pre-retirement occupations between the males and females, they had all worked in society, had general social cognition, and could use the smart bracelets that were popular in the market.…”

Association between physical activity patterns and quality of life in Japanese adults aged 85 to 89 years: a cross-sectional study

“…However, most studies were conducted in patients in their 60s and 70s [5][6][7][8][9][10], and little is known about the association in older age groups, especially in those in their 80s. It is unclear whether the evidence obtained for the 60s and 70s can be extrapolated to the 80s for the following reasons.…”