Physical Activity and Quality of Life of the Elderly

Aging is the result of gradual loss of function of vital organs. Sedentary lifestyle doubles the problems of the elderly and affects quality of life. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between physical activity and the level of general health and quality of life of inactive elderly.

This study was performed on 71 elderly people in Kashan. Due to the small sample size in this study, PLS software was used to investigate the assumed model. This research is a survey study and a questionnaire technique has been used to collect research data. In this study, Smart PLS Graph software was used to test the conceptual model of the research. Physical activity was set as the independent variable, and quality of life of the elderly as the dependent variable.

There is a significant relationship between physical activity and quality of life of the elderly along with dimensions of physical condition, marital status and life satisfaction. The highest correlation was observed between physical activity and life satisfaction of the elderly (r = 0.378). Overall, the results indicated a significant relationship between physical activity of the elderly and its quality of life (r = 0.318 and sig = 0.007).

The results of this study showed that there is a significant relationship between physical activity and quality of life, physical condition, marital status and life satisfaction of the elderly. Therefore, performing physical activity can increase muscle strength, ability to perform daily tasks without dependence on others, and quality of life.