Physical activity and mental health

Pages: 1137-1140
Damanjit Sandhu, Haroon Shafiq and Bikramjeet Singh (Department of Psychology, Punjabi University, Patiala, Punjab)

Physical activity is any form of movement that causes our body to use energy. Physical activity can not only help individuals maintain a healthy weight and therefore reduce the risk for obesity, but also associated with a lowered risk for developing heart disease, type 2 diabetes, certain cancers, high blood pressure, and osteoporosis. It has also been suggested that physical activity may improve mental health and quality of life. Physical activity can promote mental well- being, prevent mental health problems and improve the quality of life of those experiencing mental health problems and illnesses. The present investigation aimed to study physical activity in relation to mental health. Adult physical activity was studied in relation to mental health. A representative sample of 200 males, of age range 40 to 45 years was drawn from Malerkotla City. The subjects were administered International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) – Long Forms (Craig, et al., 2003) and General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ) (Goldberg & Williams, 1991). Pearsons’ Product Moment Correlational Analysis reveals that Physical Activity is inversely correlated with somatic symptoms, anxiety and insomnia , social dysfunction, & severe depression. Better Mental Health is evident when adult males are physically active.