The purpose of this study was to explore the association between the high perceived stress of adults and the types and amounts of their physical activities.
The subjects consisted of 5,624 adults aged 20 and older from the 2017 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data. The three types of physical activity (aerobic activity, muscular exercise and walking) were investigated and the amounts of physical activity were calculated with time used in each activity were calculated. To examine the association between the high perceived stress and physical activity, complex samples multiple logistic regression analyses were performed with controlling participants’ demographic and socio-economic, health status and health behavior characteristics.
There were 1,539 people (27.36%) in the high stress perceived group, and the subjects in the high stress perceived group seemed to perform less time to walking (weighted mean: 217.23 minutes/ week) than the low or not stress perceived group (weighted mean: 241.09 minutes/week). The proportion of subjects doing muscular exercise 3 or more days in a week seemed to higher in the lower stress perceived group than the high stress perceived group. The multiple logistic regression analyses results showed significant correlations between walking or doing muscular exercise and high-perceived stress (p<0.01). Additionally, the proportion of activity at work seemed to be a significant factor in the perceived stress level.
There appears to be a correlation between physical activity especially muscular activity and perceived stress, such that further studies will lead to improvements in stress management strategies.
Citations
The purpose of this study was to investigate how physical activity levels, internet use, and stress/depression differ, based on Body Mass Index (BMI). The study assessed the impact that internet use may have on physical activity, fatness, and mental health, using data from the 2014 Korea Media Panel Survey. The 2014 Korea Media Panel Survey collected data from 6,568 Korean participants, who ranged in age from 19 to 60 years. Data collection addressed BMI, numbers of days per week for physical activity, internet use, and the levels of stress and depression. When participant data was grouped by BMI levels, it was found that the overweight group had significantly higher level of vigorous physical activity, when compared to the normal weight group. The analysis also showed that the obese group had significantly higher levels of vigorous physical activity, when compared to the underweight and normal weight groups. In looking at mental health issues, when compared to normal weight individuals, the obese individuals had significantly higher levels of depression. Higher BMI levels were more likely to be associated with increased internet use, when compared with lower BMI levels, but the amount of increase was non-significant. The indication is that increased levels of internet use might reduce the amount of time spent on daily physical activities, and that reduction could result in an increased BMI and a decreased mental health status. Further studies are needed to better identify the association between internet use, physical activity, and mental health.