| Abstract [eng] |
A habit of physical activity is understood as the tendency to perform a certain action, developed through human activity and education. Often, a habit becomes a functional need that drives a person to do one thing or another. A habit is a result of constant repetition of a learned action. Many habits are formed in childhood, usually by imitating adults. Regular physical activity in childhood is said to build strong habits that tend to last a lifetime (Alves, Alves, 2019). Research object. Physical activity habits of middle-aged (45–59 years old) people. Research problem. Recently, there has been a growing body of literature reviewing the health benefits of physical activity and how physical activity affects people’s quality of life (Eckstorm, Neukam, Kalin and Wright, 2020). However, there is little research on the physical activity habits of middle-aged people. The frequency and duration of physical activity is largely determined by the habits a person develops, which have an impact on their health. Therefore, the aim of this master thesis is to determine the physical activity habits of middle-aged (45–59 years old) people. Hypothesis. A stronger habit of physical activity has a positive impact on the health of middle-aged people. Research aim. To determine the physical activity habits of middle-aged (45–59 years old) people. Research objectives. 1. To analyse the concept of physical activity and physical activity habits; 2. To assess the physical activity and physical activity habits of middle-aged (45–59 years old) people; 3. To assess the subjective health status of middle-aged (45–59 years old) people. 4. To determine the link between health status and physical activity habits in middle-aged (45–59 years old) people. Research methods. To achieve the aim of the research, an analysis of scientific literature, a questionnaire survey based on the Recent Physical Activity Questionnaire (RPAQ) and the Short Form 36 Medical Outcomes Study questionnaire (F-36), as well as statistical data analysis were carried out. Research results. The middle-aged people in the research were found to have an average physical activity level of ≥600 MET min -¹ weeks. The subjects with active jobs were more physically active than those with sedentary jobs, but the difference was not statistically significant (p>0.05). The subjects were found to have a moderate habit of engaging in some form of physical activity. Similarly to the amount of physical activity, the subjects with active jobs had a stronger physical activity habit than those with sedentary jobs. However, there was also no statistically significant difference in physical activity habits between the groups (p>0.05). In terms of general health, almost half of the subjects rated their health as good. More than half of the subjects had no change in their health status over the year. Active workers were statistically significantly (p<0.05) more likely than sedentary workers to rate their health status. The subjects with active jobs also rated their health better in individual health domains than the subjects with sedentary jobs. Analysing the relationship between physical activity habits and health status assessments of the subjects with active and sedentary jobs shows that the stronger the physical activity habit and the more active the job, the better the health outcomes in different health domains. |
