THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE AMOUNT OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND GENERAL HEALTH IN URMIA MEDICAL UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

Physical activity is an important component of the various aspects of life, and
paying attention to this issue has an important role on the mental health of students. Considering the
importance of physical activity and fitness and mental health and the role of student's educational
system, a study was conducted to examine the relationship between physical activity and general
health of the students of the Urmia University of Medical Sciences.
Materials & Methods: 300 students were selected randomly as statistical sample. To collect the data,
a questionnaire including personal characteristics, general health standards (GHQ28), and Beck
Physical Activity Questionnaire were used. For data analysis, descriptive and inferential statistical
methods (T, Pearson correlation and multiple regression) were used.
Results: The Mean physical activity of the students is less than average, and the mental health of more
than half of the participants were below standard. The results showed a significant correlation between
the total score of physical activity and exercise with mental health, and mental health components with
leisure time (p<0.05). Also the physical activity in leisure time has the ability to predict (22) percent of
the amount of mental health.
Conclusion: The results showed that in general, there was a significant positive correlation between
the amount of physical activity and mental health in the population under study. In other words,
physical activity participation leads to increased levels of mental health in a given community