Mixed
Higher leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) is longitudinally associated with better health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in community-dwelling older adults, specifically improving physical functioning, bodily pain, vitality, social functioning, emotional role, and mental health.
For older adults, increasing leisure-time physical activity (like walking, gardening, or swimming) and reducing sitting time are both independently linked to better quality of life. You do not need to perform vigorous exercise to see benefits; replacing time spent sitting with light physical activity (even just one hour a day) can lead to clinically relevant improvements in physical functioning, pain, vitality, and mental health.
Compared with those who did no LTPA, subjects in the upper quartile of LTPA had better scores on the SF-36 scales of physical functioning... physical role... bodily pain... vitality... social functioning... emotional role... and mental health... Greater LTPA and less LTSB were independently associated with better long-term HRQoL in older adults.
Why this rating
Prospective cohort study with large sample size (n=1,097), validated measures, and adjustment for confounders, though observational design limits causal inference.
Source
Longitudinal association of physical activity and sedentary behavior during leisure time with health-related quality of life in community-dwelling older adults
Teresa Balboa‐Castillo et al. · Health and Quality of Life Outcomes · 2011
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