Cluster Analysis of the Physical Activity Effects on Death Anxiety and Meaning in Life in the Elderly of Tehran

It is suggested that physical activity has a protective effect against the development of mental illnesses, especially in the elderly.The purpose of this study was to analyze the effects of physical activity on the death anxiety and meaning in life in the elderly community of Tehran province. The research design was an analytical type and group comparisons which perfomed in cross-sectional method. In this research, 400 elderly people aged 60 years and older who were recruited to retirement centers and labor houses in Tehran were selected by simple random sampling method and completed Baecke physical activity questionnaire, Templar Death Anxiety Scale, Steiger’s Meaning of Life Questionnaire. Afterwards data were analyzed using SPSS-20 software and descriptive statistics. In addition, by two-stage cluster analysis, the number of optimum clusters was identified and the characteristics of each cluster were evaluated. The results of cluster analysis revealed that there is a direct relationship between search and existence of meaning in life with death anxiety. The cluster with the highest physical activity has the lowest average level of death anxiety. Also, if the level of physical activity is above average, the average death anxiety will decrease to the lowest level. This study highlighted the desired role of physical activity in old age; it was found that high levels of physical activity protect the elderly against death anxiety. The findings of this research can be of interest to public sports policymakers, especially for older people.