Effect of Aerobic-Based Exercise on Psychological Well-Being and Quality of Life Among Older People: A Middle East Study

This research was conducted with support of WHO/EMRO as source of funding as RPPH Grant 18-92.The aimed to evaluate the effects of low and moderate-intensity aerobic exercise on psychological well-being (PWB) and quality of life (QoL) among older people. Forty-five male Iranian adults aged 65-80 years were selected according to the eligibility criteria and randomly assigned to a low-intensity group (LIG) (40-50% of maximum heart rate), moderate-intensity group (MIG) (60-70% of maximum heart rate) and control group (CG). The exercise protocols consisted of 12 weeks of aerobic exercise (two sessions per week). Psychological well-being and QoL were assessed through the Ryff's Psychological Well-being Scale and the World Health Organization QoL Questionnaire. The statistical analysis for psychological well-being indicated that a significant main group (between-group) (F = 11.777, p 0.05). While there was a significant difference between the groups for personal growth component. Bonferroni post-hoc tests revealed that the personal growth in the MIG group was more significant than both LIG (p = 0.028) and CG (p 0.05), while there was a significant difference between the groups for the Psychological health component. Bonferroni post-hoc tests revealed that the Psychological health in the MIG group was more significant than both LIG (p = 0.009) and CG (p = 0.002). Therefore, aerobic exercise improves PWB and QoL in older adults, moderate-intensity exercise seems to produce higher benefits than low-intensity, demonstrating a positive dose-response relationship.WHO/EMRO RPPH Grant 18-9