Women exercise less than men -- and that could have consequences for their physical and mental health alike.
On average, men are nearly twice as active as women -- getting at least 30 minutes of daily exercise, according to a recent study published in the journal Preventive Medicine. That's particularly bad news for women, the researchers say, because their comparative inactivity puts them at greater risk for metabolic syndrome, a descriptor for a cluster of related conditions such as high cholesterol, extra abdominal fat and high blood pressure that often lead to heart disease, stroke and Type 2 diabetes. It's also associated with higher levels of depression, the researchers found.
The good news? There's something we can all do about it. "The results indicate that regular physical activity participation was associated with positive health outcomes for both men and women; however, there was a greater strength of association for women," lead researcher Paul Loprinzi, an assistant professor of exercise science at Bellarmine University said in a statement. He conducted the study with Bradley Cardinal, a professor of social psychology of physical activity, while at Oregon State University.
BACKGROUND In a follow-up survey from Oslo, 503 persons were re-interviewed using the same questionnaire after 10 years.
METHOD The questionnaire includes questions about social support, social characteristics of the neighbourhood and mental health. Information about the neighbourhood was also gathered from key informants.
RESULTS Of the five types of neighbourhoods surveyed, only one showed marked change over time with respect to social characteristics. This was an initially poorly functioning neighbourhood with poor mental health among the residents, where substantial improvements took place as part of the further development of the area. Parallel with the improvement in social environment there was a significant improvement in mental health among those who continued to live in the same area, as opposed to those who continued to live in the other areas. Selective migration could not explain this finding.
CONCLUSIONS The findings support the environment stress hypothesis, implying that the quality of a neighbourhood has an impact on mental health. The implications for psychiatric prevention are discussed.
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