Relationship between physical activity and chronic diseases among European adults from serveral countriesa cross sectional and prospective population-based study

Resum

Introduction: Chronic diseases are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. For prevention of chronic diseases regular practice of physical activity has been recommended. This study aimed to examine the relationship between physical activity and chronic diseases in European adults and older adults. General methods: The present thesis used data from the Survey of Health, Aging, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) study, wave 4 and 5; and from the European Social Survey (ESS) project, round 7. Main results: It was observed that moderate or vigorous physical activity was cross-sectionally and prospective associated with fewer chronic diseases. Time spent watching television is associated with multimorbidity (≥2 chronic diseases). However, physical activity participation can attenuate or even eliminate this association. Multimorbidity was negatively related to self-rated health and life satisfaction, however physical activity buffered this negative relationship, contributing to better self-rated health and life satisfaction. Conclusion: Physical activity prevent chronic diseases. Therefore, implementation of programs to promote participation in moderate or vigorous physical activity should be considered as a strategy to reduce the number of chronic diseases in the population.