Interconnections of physical activity, cognition, functional health and social connectivity with perceived happiness among rural adults: Population based study

<h2>Abstract</h2><h3>Background</h3> Successful aging, within the context of a life course approach, emphasizes the direct proportionality of happiness with physical, cognitive, mental, and social well-being. Subjective well-being is a robust predictor of the overall health and functioning of individuals. The current study examines the association of happiness with physical activity, cognition, social connectivity, and functional health in middle and old-age populations from rural communities. <h3>Method</h3> A cross-sectional design was applied to collect data among 270 adults (40-90years), under the purview of Patancheru rural health center on happiness (Oxford Happiness Questionnaire-OHQ), physical activity (International Physical Activity Questionnaire-IPAQ), Cognition (Montreal Cognitive Assessment-MoCA), Social connectivity (Duke Social Support Index-DSSI) and overall functional health by using standard tools. Association was measure using chi-square test of independence and Spearman's correlation was used and results were derived at a 95% confidence interval with a significance level set at 0.5, 0.01, and 0.001. <h3>Results</h3> Findings of the study highlight a positive association between socio-demographic variables such as age, education, marital status, occupation, and income with happiness. Cognition was a strong correlate of happiness (0.473) followed by physical activity (PA) (0.2195) while social connectivity showed a weaker association (0.0469). <h3>Conclusion</h3> Outcomes of the study indicates an overall positive relationship of happiness with multidimensional components of health and wellbeing in aging population. Promoting physical and cognitive interventions, integrating social component from midlife will be a sustainable approach to promote healthy and active aging in aging population in general and in rural adults in specific for sustainable and healthy societies.