| Abstract: | Purpose: During the process of aging, older people are more likely to have degenerative lower limbs owing to osteoporosis, disease or sedentary behavior. Exercising and different activities can improve body function and can also elevate life quality by lowering down the rate of death and disability. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of exercise and sedentary behavior with health-related quality of life.
Method: This study used secondary data for analysis. The original data were carried out from the “Successful Aging Plan Project” by Asia University from March to November in year 2015. The data were collected from self-filled questionnaires by the middle-aged adults insured people from a life insurance company in Nantou. In total 134 persons completed the data and include in this study. The analysis methods included descriptive analysis, t-tests, one-way ANOVA, and linear regression models.
Result: The samples of this study were mostly women (74.6%), at an average of 55.8 years old. After controlling the relevant factors, the participant with appropriate sedentary behavior (β=9.352, p=0.046) every week had healthier mental health quality of life than those who had excess sedentary behavior. The participants who did exercises at least two to three times or more every week had better total health-related life quality (β=11.01, p=0.001), as well as in the physical dimension (β=11.285, p=0.003), and the mental dimension (β=10.78, p=0.008), comparing to those who didn’t do exercise. Further, when only the exercise doers were included into the analysis, we found that the participants with chronic diseases had lower health-related life quality (β=-8.348, p=0.007) and worse in the physical dimension (β=-8.319, p=0.008) and te mental dimension too (β=-8.371, p=0.024). Those who did exercise two to three times (β=11.856, p=0.013) or more than four times (β=10.884, p=0.019) had better quality of life comparing than those who only did exercise less than two times every week.
Discussion: People doing regular exercises have better health-related quality of life compared with those who aren’t, although too much amount of exercise does not relate to the quality of healthy life. In addition, people may have appropriate amount of sedentary behaviors if not too much. The lifestyle of increasing physical activities and cutting down sedentary behavior can help to gain a better and healthier quality of life. |
