title: Associations of physical activity with self-rated health and well-being in middle-aged Finnish men.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We examined the associations of physical activity (PA) frequency with self-rated health (SRH), self-rated well-being (SRW) and depressive symptoms, in middle-aged men in Finland.
  
  
  METHODS
  The cross-sectional study comprised 665 men (mean age 41 ± 3 SD years; body mass index (BMI) 26.8 ± 4.2 SD kg/m(2)), who had completed the screening questionnaire of an intervention for men with cardiovascular risk factors. Their weekly frequency of PA was assessed by a questionnaire, SRH and SRW by visual analog scales (VAS), and depressive symptoms by the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean SRH ± SD (range of scale 0-100) by PA frequency categories was 56.2 ± 18.5 for PA sometimes or never, 63.8 ± 16.2 for PA about 1-2 times/week, and 71.1 ± 15.5 for PA at least 3 times/week. The mean SRW ± SD (range of scale 0-100) was 59.0 ± 20.4, 65.6 ± 17.6, and 68.9 ± 17.1, respectively. The mean PHQ-2 score ± SD (range of scale 0-6) by PA categories was 1.83 ± 1.40 for PA sometimes or never, 1.68 ± 1.28 for PA about 1-2 times/week, and 1.60 ± 1.31 for the PA at least 3 times/week group. SRH and SRW improved linearly with increasing PA frequency (both p < 0.001), and the results remained similar after adjustment for BMI, education and smoking status. No association existed between PA frequency and PHQ-2.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  More frequent PA was linearly associated with better SRH and SRW, but not with depressive symptoms that were measured by a brief depression screening tool.
authors.affiliation: Department of Sports and Exercise Medicine, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland Foundation for Sports and Exercise Medicine, Clinic for Sports and Exercise Medicine, Helsinki, Finland elina.engberg@helsinki.fi.
authors.forename: Elina
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Engberg
authors.affiliation: Department of General Practice and Helsinki University Central Hospital, Unit of Primary Health Care, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Helena
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liira
authors.affiliation: UKK Institute for Health Promotion Research, Tampere, Finland.
authors.forename: Katriina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kukkonen-Harjula
authors.affiliation: Department of General Practice and Helsinki University Central Hospital, Unit of Primary Health Care, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Svetlana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: From
authors.affiliation: Department of General Practice and Helsinki University Central Hospital, Unit of Primary Health Care, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland Unit of Primary Health Care, Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland.
authors.forename: Hannu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kautiainen
authors.affiliation: Department of General Practice and Helsinki University Central Hospital, Unit of Primary Health Care, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Kaisu
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Pitkälä
authors.affiliation: Department of Sports and Exercise Medicine, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland Foundation for Sports and Exercise Medicine, Clinic for Sports and Exercise Medicine, Helsinki, Finland Institute of Biomedicine, School of Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.
authors.forename: Heikki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tikkanen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology*; D059026:Diagnostic Self Evaluation; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009043:Motor Activity; D010549:Personal Satisfaction
keywords: Depression; Finland; health; middle-aged men; physical activity; self-rated health; well-being