Journal article
Social support, physical activity and psychological distress among community-dwelling older Ghanaians
Archives of gerontology and geriatrics, Vol.81, pp.142-148
03/2019
PMID: 30590228
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Abstract
Objective
Physical activity (PA) has often been linked with improved mental health outcomes among older people but the subject has received limited attention in sub-Saharan African context. This paper examines the moderating effect of social support (SS) on the association between PA and psychological distress (PD) among community-dwelling older persons in Ghana.
Methods
Individuals 50 years or older (N = 1200) who participated in a 2016/2017 Aging, Health, Psychological Wellbeing and Health-seeking Behavior Study (AHPWHB) were included. PD outcome, measured by the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (KPDS-K10) was regressed on PA levels, SS and the interaction term.
Results
Findings suggest that regular PA (OR = 0.824; 95%CI: 0.610–0.913) and higher levels of SS (OR = 0.475; 95%CI: 0.360–0.626) were associated with reduced PD outcomes after adjusting for theoretically relevant confounding variables. More importantly, the inclusion of the interaction term (PA × SS) showed a significant negative relationship of regular PA with the PD outcome as SS levels increased (OR = 0.651; 95%CI: 0.376–0.727).
Conclusions
Although regular PA potentially contributes to reducing PD among older persons, the relationship is even stronger for those embedded in a higher constellation of SS. Policy and practical interventions seeking to improve regular PA engagement such as old-age friendly environment and psychological resources for socially isolated older persons are warranted.
Details
- Title
- Social support, physical activity and psychological distress among community-dwelling older Ghanaians
- Creators
- Razak M Gyasi - African Population and Health Research Center
- Publication Details
- Archives of gerontology and geriatrics, Vol.81, pp.142-148
- Publisher
- Elsevier B.V
- Grant note
- This work was supported by Lingnan University, Hong Kong, through its Studentship Package for Research Postgraduates [RPG1129310]
- Identifiers
- 991013035757002368
- Copyright
- © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
- Academic Unit
- National Centre for Naturopathic Medicine
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article