Understanding the Positive Associations of Sleep, Physical Activity, Fruit and Vegetable Intake as Predictors of Quality of Life and Subjective Health Across Age Groups: A Theory Based, Cross-Sectional Web-Based Study

Frontiers in Psychology

Sonia Lippke¹  Hein de Vries²  Shu Ling Tan⁴  Vera Storm⁵  Dominique A. Reinwand⁶  Julian Wienert⁷ 

[1] Bremen International Graduate School of Social Sciences, Jacobs University Bremen, Bremen, Germany;Department of Health Promotion, CAPHRI School for Public Health and Primary Care, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands;Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine, Department of Psychology and Methods, Jacobs University Bremen, Bremen, Germany;Institute of Sport and Exercise Sciences, Department of Social Sciences of Sport, University of Münster, Münster, Germany;Institute of Sport and Exercise Sciences, Department of Sport Psychology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany;Rehabilitative Gerontology, Department of Special Education and Rehabilitation, Faculty of Human Sciences, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany;Scientific Institute of TK for Benefit and Efficiency in Health Care (WINEG), Hamburg, Germany;

关键词: sleep;    physical activity;    fruit and vegetable intake;    sleep quality;    quality of life;    subjective health;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00977

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Background: Due to the increase in unhealthy lifestyles and associated health risks, the promotion of healthy lifestyles to improve the prevention of non-communicable diseases is imperative. Thus, research aiming to identify strategies to modify health behaviors has been encouraged. Little is known about addressing multiple health behaviors across age groups (i.e., young, middle-aged, and older adults) and the underlying mechanisms. The theoretical framework of this study is Compensatory Carry-Over Action Model which postulates that different health behaviors (i.e., physical activity and fruit and vegetable intake) are interrelated, and they are driven by underlying mechanisms (more details in the main text). Additionally, restful sleep as one of the main indicators of good sleep quality has been suggested as a mechanism that relates to other health behaviors and well-being, and should therefore also be investigated within this study. The present study aims to identify the interrelations of restful sleep, physical activity, fruit and vegetable intake, and their associations with sleep quality as well as overall quality of life and subjective health in different age groups.Methods: A web-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Germany and the Netherlands. 790 participants aged 20–85 years filled in the web-based baseline questionnaire about their restful sleep, physical activity, fruit and vegetable intake, sleep quality, quality of life, and subjective health. Descriptive analysis, multivariate analysis of covariance, path analysis, and multi-group analysis were conducted.Results: Restful sleep, physical activity, and fruit and vegetable intake were associated with increased sleep quality, which in turn was associated with increased overall quality of life and subjective health. The path analysis model fitted the data well, and there were age-group differences regarding multiple health behaviors and sleep quality, quality of life, and subjective health. Compared to young and older adults, middle-aged adults showed poorest sleep quality and overall quality of life and subjective health, which were associated with less engagement in multiple health behaviors.Conclusion: A better understanding of age-group differences in clustering of health behaviors may set the stage for designing effective customized age-specific interventions to improve health and well-being in general and clinical settings.Trial Registration: A clinical trial registration was conducted with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT01909349) https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01909349.

【 授权许可】

Unknown