Association between Physical Activity and Perceived Psychological Stress in Adults in Bucaramanga

Abstract

Introduction: Increased stress levels became a problem for the general population’s health. Research studies show that individuals engaging regular physical activity have a decreased percep­tion of psychological stress. The relationship between physical activity and perceived psychological stress has been suggested to vary across domains of physical activity and across population groups. Objective: To establish the association between physical activity and perceived psychological stress in adults living in neighborhoods of the 2nd and 3rd socio-economic strata of Bucaramanga. Materials and methods: This observational analytical cross-sectional study was conducted in a population of 502 adult residents in the city of Bucaramanga. Individuals were interviewed to obtain information about physical activity and their level of perceived psychological stress. Data analysis will account for socio-demographic and behavior patterns using linear regression models, and it was performed in stata® 11.0. Results: Meeting the physical activity recommendations was associated with a decrease in psychological stress levels in study participants (β = -1,90 IC 95 % -3,73 a -0,06; P = 0,043). Conclusions: Complying with the recommendations of physical activity was associated with a decrease in the psychological stress level in the participants, who had an average -1.9 points lower PSS score than those who do not comply.

Keywords

• Physical activity
• Perceived psychological stress
• Perceived Stress Scale (PSS)
• International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ)