From stress to strength: The influence of physical activity on the mental well-being of students

Engaging of students in some physical exercise helps promote positive mental health and even reduces the chances of developing some forms of mental disorder. This particular study intends to assess the importance of physical activity in relation to students’ mental health and ascertain differences in these two factors in terms of demographic variables. A descriptive cross-sectional approach was utilized in this study using The Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ) to assess the students’ physical activity, while the General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12) was used for the assessment of mental health among nursing students of a Catholic University in Santiago City, Philippines. The results showed that the level of physical activity and mental health status of the population studied correlated poorly, as well as did the level or any other demographic variable of the population’s mental health, and physical activity. The findings suggest that there may be other factors that can account for nursing students’ mental health. Although, it is appreciated that being active is beneficial, the present research could not demonstrate any positive effects of physical activity, on mental health. A more holistic approach to their well-being where the mental health of nursing students is called is suggested.