Jong, B.M. de (Beli) (2021) The association between loneliness and physical activity in adults. thesis, Human Movement Sciences.
Full text available on request.Abstract
Background: Health concerns of loneliness in adults stresses the need to understand the associated factors with loneliness. Loneliness is the unpleasant experience that appears when a person’s network of social relations is deficient in some important way. A health behaviour that might benefit the perceived loneliness is physical activity (PA). Nevertheless, little is known about the association between loneliness and PA. Objective: To explore the relationship between loneliness and PA, controlling for several covariates like marital status, depressive feelings, sedentary behaviour, health, and age. Method: This questionnaire study is conducted in The Netherlands February until May 2021, under Covid-19 regulations. Loneliness was measured using the De Jong-Gierveld Loneliness scale and PA was measured using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Correlation analysis were used to examine the association between loneliness and PA. Additionally, a multiple hierarchical regression analysis was conducted to evaluate the prediction of PA from loneliness, age, depressive feelings, sedentary behaviour, all the health aspects, marital status and Covid-19. Results: In total 410 participants were included in the study (Mage = 46 years, SD = 20, range = 18–93, 63.7% female). There was no correlation found between loneliness and PA (r = -.087, p = .079), PA and age (r = .072, p = .147), or loneliness and sedentary behaviour (r = .089, p = .093). After controlling for Covid-19, there was also no correlation left between loneliness and age (r = .408, p = .732) or sedentary behaviour and age (r = -.092, p = .084). Additionally, PA cannot be predicted by loneliness and age (F(2, 350) = 1.975, p = .140). Conclusion: This study explored the association between loneliness and PA, controlling for several covariates. No association was found between loneliness and PA in this study or evidence for loneliness to predict PA. However, future studies should focus on measuring PA using actual PA measures like accelerometers. Additionally, PA interventions could measure the direct effects of PA on loneliness.
| Item Type: | Thesis (UNSPECIFIED) |
|---|---|
| Faculty: | Medical Sciences |
| Date Deposited: | 13 May 2022 12:21 |
| Last Modified: | 13 May 2022 12:21 |
| URI: | https://umcg.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/3302 |
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