%0 Thesis
%9 Bachelor
%A Weegink, Rogier
%D 2023
%F theses_frw:4159
%P 21
%T ON CONNECTIONS BETWEEN MENTAL HEALTH AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AT OLDER AGES
%U https://frw.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/4159/
%X This research concerned itself with increasing the understanding between physical activity and mental health at older ages. Using cross-sectional data from the European Social Survey’s round 7, sampling over twenty countries with respondents aged 60 and up it was found that physical activity played a significant role in indicating depressive complaints. In the multiple linear regression with CES-D8 score as the outcome variable the other main explanatory variables being socio-economic status and Body Mass Index, similar results were found. Meaning that more physical activity, higher socio-economic status and healthier BMI ranges are related to better mental health for people at older ages in a European context, their respective effects leading to the accumulation of benefits throughout the life-course. It is recommended for future research to include more factors such as environmental determinants and the use of longitudinal data to decipher patterns over a longer amount of time.