Relationship between physical activity and the sense of coherence in healthy adults

Abstract

Objective: This study seeks to stablish a relation between the level of physical activity and the sense of coherence in young adults. Design: Cross sectional and analytical study in healthy young participants. Site: Web form application. Participants: 191 active or inactive adult men or women between the ages of 18 and 45 without cognitive alterations. Professional or amateur athletes were excluded. Main measurements: Correlation between the sense of coherence instrument (SOC-13) and Inventory of Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) were applied. Results: The physical activity levels in the sample were distributed as: high level 34%, medium level 52%, and low level 13%. The mean of SOC-13 was 52.4. No difference was found when comparing between SOC-13 for each group of physical activity (high: 55, medium: 54, low: 58, p > 0.05), no correlation between SOC-13, age, and MET's reported by participants was found. Conclusions: In healthy individuals, the IPAQ measure of physical activity levels showed no correlation with the sense of coherence in healthy young adults. Apparently, a sedentary lifestyle does not correlate with an individual's self-directed pursuit of health. It is possible that being physically active or sedentary is related to extrinsic variables associated with culture or family environment. © 2024 The Authors