The Relationships between Physical Activity and Life Satisfaction and Happiness among Young, Middle-Aged, and Older Adults

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused an abrupt change in lifestyle for many people with restrictions, often leading to a decrease in physical activity (PA), and thus contributing to a negative perception of health status. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of the COVID-19 epidemic on physical activity and perceived physical fitness in Japanese adults aged 40 to 69 years. Data were collected from an online survey conducted between October 19 and 28, 2020. The analytic sample consisted of 1989 Japanese adults (mean age, 50.1 ± 6.9 years; women, 38.9%) who were aged between 40 and 69 years and completed the online survey. Overall, the PA time per week decreased by 32.4% between October 2019 and April 2020. A decrease in PA time was recorded in October 2020; however, a decline of 15.5% was observed. Compared to individuals who did not perceive a decline in physical fitness, individuals who perceived declining physical fitness during the COVID-19 state of emergency demonstrated a greater decrease in PA time in April 2020 (–50.5%), and this trend continued into October 2020 (–25.0%). These findings may indicate that Japanese adults aged 40 to 69 years who perceived declining physical fitness experienced a greater decrease in physical activity.

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Physical Activity and Perceived Physical Fitness during the COVID-19 Epidemic: A Population of 40- to 69-Year-Olds in Japan

Makizako

Akaida

Shono

et al. 2021

“…Happiness, which is usually defined as the emotional component of well-being [ 85 , 86 ], was captured with a single item (“How happy are you with your life in general”), rated on an 11-point Likert scale (1 = completely unhappy to 11 = completely happy). This evaluation is commonly used with adult participants [ 87 ]. Previous studies reported the adequate psychometric properties of this approach [ 88 , 89 , 90 ].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Parenting Warmth and Strictness across Three Generations: Parenting Styles and Psychosocial Adjustment

Garcia

Fuentes

Gracia

et al. 2020

Recent emergent research is seriously questioning whether parental strictness contributes to children’s psychosocial adjustment in all cultural contexts. We examined cross-generational differences in parental practices characterized by warmth and practices characterized by strictness, as well as the relationship between parenting styles (authoritative, indulgent, authoritarian, and neglectful) and psychosocial adjustment in adulthood. Parenting practices characterized by warmth (affection, reasoning, indifference, and detachment) and strictness (revoking privileges, verbal scolding, and physical punishment) were examined. Psychosocial adjustment was captured with multidimensional self-concept and well-being (life satisfaction and happiness). Participants were 871 individuals who were members of three generations of Spanish families: College students (G3), their parents (G2), and their grandparents (G1). Results showed two different cross-generational patterns in parenting practices, with an increased tendency toward parental warmth (parents use more affection and reasoning but less indifference across generations) and a decreased tendency toward parental strictness (parents use revoking privileges, verbal scolding, and physical punishment less across generations). Interestingly, despite cross-generational differences in parenting practices, a common pattern between parenting styles and psychosocial adjustment was found: indulgent parenting was related to equal or even better self-concept and well-being than authoritative parenting, whereas parenting characterized by non-warmth (authoritarian and neglectful) was related to poor scores.

“…The increased physical activity resulted in an improved quality of life [ 17 ]. At the same time, some studies do not confirm any relationship between a very high level of physical activity for students and their quality of life and self-esteem, with some papers highlighting the combined influence of other factors, such as gender, age, and marital status [ 25 , 26 ]. A greater effect of frequent exercise on quality of life has been observed in adult pre-diabetics and women with depressive symptoms [ 27 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although the abovementioned definition of health according to the WHO clearly refers to quality of life, research on this subject was initiated relatively recently; in the 1990s, systematic studies in this field started to be undertaken [ 4 , 5 , 6 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 ]. It is known from today that these studies should take into account, among others, the degree of satisfaction with health and family life, social relations, professional life, education, and specialization or universal standards affecting the quality of life in the local community, which the authors have pointed out in this study [ 16 , 17 , 18 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Physical Activity and Quality of Life of University Students, Their Parents, and Grandparents in Poland—Selected Determinants

Kotarska

Nowak

et al. 2021

Physical activity is one of the factors conditioning human health. Research shows a positive impact of regular physical activity on the quality of human life. The aim of the study was to determine the relationship between the physical activity of university students, their parents, and their grandparents, and the overall quality of their lives in individual domains (physical, mental, social, environmental), as well as the perceived state of health in relation to selected determinants. The research included 1001 participants, including 253 students related to physical culture and health promotion studying at the University of Szczecin (faculties: physical education, tourism and recreation, public health, sports diagnostics), and their 336 parents and 412 grandparents. Purposive sampling was used to outline the determinants of quality of life and family factors in physical activity. The diagnostic survey was carried out based on the standardized WHOQOL-BREF (World Health Organization Quality of Life) questionnaire. Statistically significant differences were shown in the studied generations regarding the assessment of quality of life and satisfaction with health in the physical, psychological, social, and environmental domains. The oldest generation gave the lowest assessment of quality of life and was the least satisfied with their health regarding particular domains. Female students were more satisfied with their health compared to grandmothers and grandfathers, whereas male students compared to mothers and fathers. Fathers achieved the highest scores in the psychological and social domains, but, in case of the latter, differences were found between mothers’ and fathers’ assessments. Intergenerational differences were found in quality of life and the assessment of health status. Current participation in broadly understood physical culture was often a result of positive attitudes towards physical education and doing sport in the past, which meant higher scores in the physical domain each time. The study demonstrated that taking up physical activity impacted the quality of life and assessment of health in the past and currently.