Physical activity, exercise and self-rated health: a population-based study from Sweden
2008

Physical Activity and Self-Rated Health in Sweden

Sample size: 3756 publication 10 minutes Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Marita Södergren, Jan Sundquist, Sven-Erik Johansson, Kristina Sundquist

Primary Institution: Karolinska Institute

Hypothesis

The study aims to identify the most inactive individuals in the population and investigate the correlation between exercise, total physical activity, and self-rated health.

Conclusion

Both exercise and total physical activity were independently associated with good self-rated health.

Supporting Evidence

  • The most inactive individuals constituted 4.3% of the sample.
  • Higher levels of exercise and total physical activity were associated with better self-rated health.
  • The correlation between exercise and total physical activity was low.

Takeaway

Being active and exercising can help you feel healthier. This study looked at how much people move and how they feel about their health.

Methodology

A random sample of the Swedish population aged 25–64 years was surveyed about their physical activity and health, with logistic regression models used to analyze the data.

Potential Biases

There is a risk of misclassification of individuals' activity levels due to reliance on self-reported data.

Limitations

Self-reporting of physical activity may lead to overestimation and recall bias; the study did not objectively measure physical activity.

Participant Demographics

Participants were aged 25–64 years, with a balanced representation of men and women.

Statistical Information

P-Value

0.02

Confidence Interval

Not specified

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1186/1471-2458-8-352

Want to read the original?

Access the complete publication on the publisher's website

View Original Publication