Survey of Mental Health and its Relationship with Musculoskeletal Disorders in Elderly Athletes and Non-Athletes

Physical activity may decrease with age while World Health Organization determines the physical activity as the first index of a healthy society. Decreased physical activity may affect the physical and mental factors in people. The aim of the present study was to investigate the mental health and its relationship with musculoskeletal disorders in elderly athletes and non-athletes from north of Tehran. An available sample of 205 elderly in north of Tehran were selected to be surveyed. The general health questionnaire and Nordic questionnaire were used to investigate their mental health subscales and musculoskeletal pains and disorders. Independent t test, Mann-Whitney U test and logistic regression were used to analyze the data. Results showed a significant difference in mental health and its subscales between athletes and non-athletes. Additionally, logistic regression predicted the association of neck and knee pains and disorders with depression and social functioning symptoms (p<0.05). According to the results, regular physical activity may have a significant effect on the mental health of the elderly. Furthermore, musculoskeletal pains and disorders may be an effective and associated factor with increased depression signs and social performance and work relationships in the elderly.