Comparing the Effects of Group and Home-based Physical Activity on Mental Health in the Elderly

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. 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). 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. These findings reveal the probable effects of GB rather than HB physical activity on mental health among the elderly.