LONDON, July 5 ― Whether it's ballroom dancing, gardening or a brisk 20-minute walk every day, physical activity can improve the quality of life of people over 60. So concludes a new study by a team of British researchers, who explain that staying active has an impact on physical and mental health, and in particular on pain and mood.
It's no secret that exercise is good for physical health, but recent studies have also shown that physical activity of any kind can also be good for mental health. This led a team of researchers from Cambridge University to investigate the potential link between even moderate physical activity and quality of life in older people. They examined the activity levels of almost 1,500 people aged 60 and over using accelerometers, and then looked at the participants' quality of life, taking into account their health and well-being. A follow-up study was carried out six years later to determine whether these physical activity levels had been maintained, and whether participants' quality of life had changed.
Published in the journal Health and Quality of Life Outcomes, the research suggests that the most physically active people – ie. those who engaged in moderate to vigorous exercise ― enjoyed a better quality of life later on. And it doesn't take much to improve quality of life, since just one additional hour of daily physical activity can boost quality of life by 0.02 (0 being associated with the worst quality of life, 1 with the best).
A drop in premature death
On the other hand, the researchers observed a decline in moderate to vigorous physical activity at the check-up carried out six years after the first assessment. Men and women were about 24 minutes less active on a daily basis, while also being more sedentary, averaging an extra 33 minutes per day for men, and 38 minutes for women. And in this case, quality of life scores fell more rapidly, by 0.03 for each minute less of moderate-to-vigorous daily physical activity.
Sedentary behaviour is also considered to be detrimental to quality of life, and in relatively significant proportions. Researchers report that each additional minute of sedentary behaviour per day leads to a 0.012-point drop in the quality-of-life score. And these scores are not without impact, since the scientists specify that an improvement of 0.1 point corresponds, for example, to a 6.9 per cent drop in the risk of premature death and a 4.2 per cent drop in the risk of hospitalization.
Less TV, more pickleball
“There are several ways in which improvements in our physical behaviours might help maintain a better quality of life. For example, more physical activity reduces pain in common conditions such as osteoarthritis, and we know that being more physically active improves muscle strength which allows older adults to continue to care for themselves. Similarly, depression and anxiety are linked to quality of life, and can be improved by being more active and less sedentary,” concludes Dr. Dharani Yerrakalva of the University of Cambridge, quoted in a news release.
While it's not a question of people in their 60s and beyond giving up quieter activities such as reading or watching television, it's a good idea to replace some of these times with activities that can raise the heart rate. This could be brisk walking, gardening, pickleball or dancing. A recent report presented by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) on the rise of sedentary lifestyles and insufficient activity levels in the European Union, stated that at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week could prevent 11.5 million new cases of non-communicable disease by 2050, including depression. ― ETX Studio
