A cross-sectional study on the correlation between physical activity levels and health-related quality of life in community-dwelling middle-aged and older adults

This study aimed to evaluate the association between physical activity level and health-related quality of life in community-dwelling middle aged and older adults in Egypt. Between May and August 2017, a cross-sectional study of 184 middle-aged and older adults between the ages of 55 and 64 years old (129 males and 55 females) with a mean age of 58 ± 4.3 years old participated in this study. Study participants were classified into 3 groups based on their level of physical activity (walking duration); low level of physical activity (<150 minutes/week), moderate level of physical activity (150–300 minutes/week), and high level of physical activity (>300 minutes/week). The health-related quality of life (HRQoL) was calculated using the Euro-Quality of life-5dimensions-3 levels scale questionnaire (EuroQol-5D-3L). Spearman's correlation coefficient was performed to determine the correlation between the physical activity level and HRQoL scores in community-dwelling middle-aged and older adults. The results showed a significant correlation between the physical activity levels and HRQoL dimensions. Significant differences were observed in the HRQoL scores between high, moderate and low-physical activity groups (P < .05). The moderate and high-physical activity groups had significantly higher HRQoL scores in all dimensions than low-physical activity group. The low-physical activity group showed a high predominance of the chronic disease compared to the high and moderate physical activity groups. It was concluded that high and moderate levels of physical activity have a great positive relationship with the HRQoL in community-dwelling middle-aged and older adults in Egypt. Recommendations should be dedicated to supporting the active lifestyle among the different population, particularly middle-aged and older adults.