The Relationship Between Physical Activity and Health Status Among Senior University Students in Sichuan, China

Background and Aim: Physical activity plays a crucial role in maintaining overall health by reducing the risk of chronic diseases like heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. Regular exercise also improves mental well-being, boosts immunity, and enhances overall quality of life. This study examines the relationship between physical activity levels and health status among older adults attending a senior university in Mianyang, Sichuan Province, China. With China's aging population increasing, understanding the impact of physical activity on health is crucial for improving the quality of life among the elderly. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 282 participants aged 60 and above, using stratified random sampling. Data were collected via a structured questionnaire covering demographics, physical activity levels, and health status. Validity (0.85) and reliability (0.88) were ensured. Statistical analysis included descriptive statistics, multiple regression, and Pearson correlation. Results: Most participants were male (46.81%), aged 61-70 years (46.81%), married (46.10%), and had primary education (73.76%). Moderate-to-high levels of physical activity significantly improved physical, mental, social, and spiritual health. A positive correlation was found among different health dimensions, highlighting the interrelated nature of health. Conclusion: This study examines the relationship between physical activity levels and health outcomes in older adults. The results show that moderate and vigorous physical activity has a significant positive impact on physical, mental, social, and psychological health. Specifically, compared to inactive participants, those engaging in moderate or vigorous physical activity experience significant reductions in physical frailty, psychological decline, and social health deterioration. Ordered multinomial logistic regression analysis reveals that both vigorous physical activity (PhyA=1) and moderate physical activity (PhyA=2) have negative regression coefficients for all health statuses with significant p-values, indicating a positive effect on health outcomes. In terms of correlations, physical health, mental health, social health, and psychological health are significantly positively correlated, with correlation coefficients of 0.657 between physical and mental health, 0.606 between physical and social health, and 0.588 between physical and psychological health. However, these correlations vary by activity level. At inactive levels, no significant correlations were found between health statuses. At moderate intensity levels, a significant positive correlation between mental and social health was observed, while at vigorous activity levels, no significant correlations between health statuses were found. Additionally, the study examines how various factors such as gender, age, marital status, education, occupation, income, BMI, caregiver status, and participation in senior clubs relate to physical activity levels. The results show that retirees (59.93%) engage more in vigorous physical activity, while farmers (a higher proportion) participate more in moderate-intensity physical activity.