Abstract
Background Active aging is aimed at promoting quality of life in older adults. Nevertheless, the relationship between physical role and the practice of physical activity (PA) can be influenced by bodily pain feeling and by a low level of health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Passive and active strategies are susceptible to being modified and constitute an important psychological predictor of adaptation to pain. This cross-sectional study (1) analyzed the differences between inactive/active older adult women in terms of clinical and sociodemographic characteristics, pain coping strategies, and HRQoL; (2) studied the associations between pain coping strategies, the dimensions of the HRQoL questionnaire, and physical role; and (3) determined if passive strategies, bodily pain, physical function, and general health were significant mediators in the link between being inactive/active and physical role. Methods Participants of the present cross-sectional study completed measures of clinical and sociodemographic characteristics, HRQoL using the Short-Form Health Survey-36, and active and passive strategies using the Vanderbilt Pain Management Inventory (VPMI). Results A total of 157 inactive (69.9 ± 7.1 years) and 183 active (68.8 ± 5.3 years) women from rural areas were included in the study. Both groups significantly differed in the majority of the clinical and sociodemographic characteristics measured, pain coping strategies, and HRQoL. Bodily pain, physical function, and general health predicted physical role. Moreover, passive strategies, bodily pain, physical function, and general health mediated the link between inactive/active participants and physical role. Conclusions Being physically active or inactive contributes to a better understanding of the link between PA, pain coping strategies, and physical role in older women.
Highlights
The increase in the number of older adults has been one of the achievements of the last decades and has promoted a growing interest in finding out factors related with improving wellbeing in older people
physical activity (PA) helps maintaining a better psychological status and contributes to effective pain coping, and better general health [32] and physical function [33]
The multiple mediation analysis revealed that the paths from being active/inactive to physical function, bodily pain, general health, and passive strategies were significant
Summary
The increase in the number of older adults has been one of the achievements of the last decades and has promoted a growing interest in finding out factors related with improving wellbeing in older people. Passive and active strategies are susceptible to being modified and constitute an important psychological predictor of adaptation to pain This cross-sectional study (1) analyzed the differences between inactive/active older adult women in terms of clinical and sociodemographic characteristics, pain coping strategies, and HRQoL; (2) studied the associations between pain coping strategies, the dimensions of the HRQoL questionnaire, and physical role; and (3) determined if passive strategies, bodily pain, physical function, and general health were significant mediators in the link between being inactive/active and physical role. A total of 157 inactive (69:9 ± 7:1 years) and 183 active (68:8 ± 5:3 years) women from rural areas were included in the study Both groups significantly differed in the majority of the clinical and sociodemographic characteristics measured, pain coping strategies, and HRQoL. Being physically active or inactive contributes to a better understanding of the link between PA, pain coping strategies, and physical role in older women
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