O R I G I N A L P A P E R .r . The Effects of Exercise Standards on the Quality of Life to People with Chronic Disease Associate Professor of Sport Management in the subject: "Sociology of Sport

Abstract Background: The World Health Organization describes the chronic disease as "disease of long duration and generally slow progression" and the chronic conditions as "health problems requiring continuous management for years or even decades". The needs of patients suffering from chronic diseases continuously change and are related to their health and quality of life. Objective: The exploration of the collective interpretation of the quality of life and the role of exercise at it, as well as the respective image that patients with chronic diseases present through their subjective appreciation. Methodology: 133 patients (51.1% were women) in four general hospitals in the district of Peloponnese, from the Renal Dialysis Unit, the beta-thalassaemia units and the diabetes outpatients' clinics, filled in structured questionnaires: the short form of the international physical activity questionnaire (IPAQ), the short form of the quality of life questionnaire (SF-36) and a questionnaire with demographics and chronic diseases' characteristics, during the period of 2010-2011. Results: Participants seem to be affected from various other organic disorders, co morbidities, such as cardio logical, psychological, endocrinologic disorders, as well as from complications of the main disease. We remark a statistically significant negative influence of all levels-dimensions of the quality of life in all three groups of patients. In particular: 52.6% of the participants had low physical activity. Men had considerably higher marks in the synoptic scale of physical health a fact that indicates better physical health in comparison to women. Additionally, there was a significant difference in the marks of the participants at the synoptic scale of physical health in accordance with their level of education, both of the high school graduates and the graduates of Universities/ Colleges/Master courses (p= 0.003, p=0.001 respectively). Moreover, the participants that used to work 2-5 hours daily had considerably lower marks in the synoptic scale of physical health in comparison both to the participants who worked 6-8 hours and to those who worked for more than 8 hours (p=0.001, p=0.001 respectively). Women got considerably higher marks in the synoptic scale of mental health, which indicates better mental health in comparison to men. Conclusion: Results' analysis shows that for all three groups of patients there was significant correlation between all the dimensions of quality of life. Therefore, the higher the quality of life one person has, regarding one dimension, the better it becomes regarding all the others, too