Abstract
Although ageing people could benefit from healthy diet and physical activity to maintain health and quality of life, further understandings of the diet- and physical activity-related mechanisms that may cause changes in health and quality of life perception are necessary. The purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of eating attitudes, body mass and image satisfaction, and exercise dependence in the relationship between physical activity and health and quality of life perception in older individuals. Hundred and seventy-nine late middle-aged, (55–64 yrs), young-old (65–74 yrs), and old (75–84 yrs) senior athletes (n = 56), physically active (n = 58) or sedentary adults (n = 65) were submitted to anthropometric evaluations (body mass, height) and self-reported questionnaires: Body Image Dimensional Assessment, Exercise Dependence Scale, Eating Attitude Test, and Short Form Health Survey (Physical Component Summary [PCS] and Mental Component Summary [MCS] of and health and quality of life perception). Senior athletes, physically active, and sedentary participants subgroups differed (P<0.05) from each other in body mass index (BMI) and several components of body image and exercise dependence. Senior athletes showed, compared to their sedentary counterparts, further differences (P<0.05) in eating attitudes and in both PCS and MCS. Mediation analysis showed that the relationship between physical activity habit and MCS, but not PCS, was indirectly explained by a serial mediation chain composed of objective BMI and subjective body image (dis)satisfaction. Findings confirm the relevant role of physically active life habits for older individuals to perceive good physical and mental health. The novelty of the three-path mediated link between physical activity level and mental health perception suggests that the beneficial effect of a physically active lifestyle on weight control can positively impinge on the cognitive-emotional dimension of mental health by ensuring the maintenance, also at older age, of a satisfactory body image.
Highlights
In light of the increasing life expectancy of western citizens, several organizations and government agencies have endorsed the benefits of a healthy lifestyle and healthy diet [1,2] the combination of insufficient physical activity and high-energy intakes is responsible for the actual high incidence of overweight and obesity, which is linked to several diseases [3]
body mass index (BMI) resulted lowest for athletes, intermediate for Anthropometry Body mass Height (m) BMI Weight category Normal weight (%) Overweight (%) Grade I Obesity (%) Grade II Obesity (%) Grade III Obesity (%) Health Medications (n) Diseases (n) Educational background College (%) High school (%)
Our results suggest the existence of a more psychological mediation mechanism, which explains the association between habitual sport participation and mental health perception referring to the linkage between healthy weight status and positive cognitive-emotional dimensions of the body image construct [29]
Summary
In light of the increasing life expectancy of western citizens, several organizations and government agencies have endorsed the benefits of a healthy lifestyle and healthy diet [1,2] the combination of insufficient physical activity and high-energy intakes is responsible for the actual high incidence of overweight and obesity, which is linked to several diseases [3]. There has been a shift in health promotion policies from the goal of increasing the span of healthy life to that of improving overall quality of life and well-being [8,9] This shift of the focus toward subjectively perceived health-related quality of life is relevant in the light of evidence showing that even if physical health and function become poorer with aging, quality of life perception can remain high. This is explained by the multifaceted nature of perceived health-related quality of life and the relevance of its mental health component [10,11]
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