Author/Authors :
Mortazavi, Salehe Department of Health Promotion and Education - School of Public Health - Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran , Shati, Mohsen Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics - School of Public Health - Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran , Eftekhar Ardebili, Hassan Department of Health Promotion and Education - School of Public Health - Tehran University of Medical Sciences and Health Center for Community‑Based Participatory Research, Tehran, Iran , Mohammad, Kazem Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics - School of Public Health - Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran , Dorali Beni, Reza School of Medicine - Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran , Hassanzadeh Keshteli, Ammar Integrative Functional Gastroenterology Research Center - Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
Abstract :
Background: The present study focuses on comparing the effects of home‑based (HB) and group‑based (GB) physical activity on mental health in a sample of older adults in Shahr‑e‑kord.
Methods: In this quasi‑experimental study, a twice‑weekly physical activity program for 2 months was provided either individually at home or in a group format for 181 people who were divided into two groups (HB and GB). The outcome, mental health, was measured
with the 28‑item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ‑28).
Results: Mental health status improved after participation in the physical activity program. The decrease in GHQ‑28 total score in GB group, 3 months after intervention, was 3.61 ± 2.28 (P < 0.001). In HB group, this reduction was 1.20 ± 2.32 during the same period (P<0.001). The difference of these “before–after differences” between the two groups in the GHQ‑28 and all its subscales was
statistically significant (P<0.001). Also, the effects of GB physical activity on mental health compared with HB physical activity, adjusted for related baseline variables, were significant.
Conclusions: These findings reveal the probable effects of GB rather than HB physical activity on mental health among the elderly.
Keywords :
Elderly , group‑based physical activity , home‑based physical activity , mental health
