Mental health and physical activity in the European Union

Objectives: This article is the 3rd in a series of four that present data about physical activity in 15 member states of the European Union collected by the Eurobarometer 58.2. On a descriptive level it investigates the relationships between physical activity (MET-h/week) and mental health. Methods: Data were collected in 2002 as part of the Eurobarometer by face-to-face interviews. A total of 16 230 respondents age 15 years and older were interviewed. Sample sizes were about 1000 respondents in most nations. Mental health was assessed with the Mental Health Inventory (MHI-5) and the Energy and Vitality Scale (EVI-scale). Physical activity was assessed with the last 7-days short version of the international Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). Results: Across sociodemographic subgroups of the populations investigated (age, gender, marital status, gross household income, educational status) it was found, that those being more physically active had in general a better mental health. In some of the 15 nations evidence for a dose-response relationship between physical activity and mental health was found, while in others this was not the case. Conclusion: Results seem to indicate a positive relationship between physical activity level and mental health for population subgroups. However, analysis found no evidence that this relationship can be characterized as being dose-response in all nations.