Aims: Sport and physical activity are an important element in the general health and well-being of people. Sustained sporting results in a relative bodily fitness which allows people to fulfill their physical duties efficiently and without feeling unreasonably tired and to retain some energy for their leisure time. Therefore, the present study aims at examining the relationship between physical fitness and mental health of the employees of Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Methods: This research was a correlational study with 326 subjects (213 male and 113 female) selected randomly from Baqiyatallah University’s staff who individually took physical fitness tests and completed SCL 90-R questionnaires.
Results: Data analysis indicated that physical fitness and mental health levels were higher in men than in women. There was a significant relationship between physical fitness and mental health. The flexibility test results explained a great part of mental health variance (especially in terms of somatization, obsessive-compulsiveness, depression, anxiety and hostility). There was also a significant positive correlation between the Body Mass Index (BMI) and somatization, that is, higher levels of somatization symptoms were reported in more obese people.
Conclusion: The results of this research confirmed the positive role of physical fitness and sport in mental health and also revealed that some physical fitness components (such as flexibility) have a greater influence on mental health than other components. Thus it seems to be necessary to pay more attention to sports activities and physical fitness of employees because this will help improve their mental health.
Elahi, T., Fathi Ashtiani, A., & Bigdeli, E. (2022). The Relationship between Physical Fitness and Mental Health of the Employees of A Medical Sciences University. Journal of Military Medicine, 14(3), 192-199.
MLA
TAHEREH Elahi; Ali Fathi Ashtiani; Elyas Bigdeli. "The Relationship between Physical Fitness and Mental Health of the Employees of A Medical Sciences University". Journal of Military Medicine, 14, 3, 2022, 192-199.
HARVARD
Elahi, T., Fathi Ashtiani, A., Bigdeli, E. (2022). 'The Relationship between Physical Fitness and Mental Health of the Employees of A Medical Sciences University', Journal of Military Medicine, 14(3), pp. 192-199.
VANCOUVER
Elahi, T., Fathi Ashtiani, A., Bigdeli, E. The Relationship between Physical Fitness and Mental Health of the Employees of A Medical Sciences University. Journal of Military Medicine, 2022; 14(3): 192-199.
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