Healthy longevity and dynamic balances of well-being, diet, and physical activity

Authors

  • Albertina Lima Oliveira Universidade de Coimbra, Centro de Estudos Interdisciplinares, Faculdade de Psicologia e Ciências da Educação https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9521-528X
  • Tiago Sousa Universidade de Coimbra, Centro de Investigação em Antropologia e Saúde, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Departamento de Ciências da Vida, https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0355-5944
  • Manuela Alvarez Universidade de Coimbra, Centro de Investigação em Antropologia e Saúde, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Departamento de Ciências da Vida, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0336-2299

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31211/rpics.2024.10.1.315

Keywords:

Physical activity, Subjective well-being, Mediterranean diet, Biophysiological indicators, Healthy longevity

Abstract

Background: Healthy longevity originates from the dynamic interaction between environmental, biological, and psychosocial factors such as health and subjective well-being. Objective: To analyze how subjective well-being, subjective health, physical activity, and the Mediterranean diet relate to aging biomarkers and the number of prescribed medications and how they vary according to groups differentiated by age, sex, and other sociodemographic variables. Method: A non-experimental cross-sectional methodology was used involving 290 non-institutionalized people aged 61 to 98 years living in the Coimbra Region. The biomarkers were collected from clinical analysis reports, and the remaining demographic, psychosocial, and lifestyle data were collected with questionnaires. Results: It was found that subjective well-being presents invariance as a function of chronological age and marital status but not gender. The perception of health emerged as a differentiating factor for life satisfaction, negative affect, depressive symptoms, and perception of social support, as well as the alkaline phosphatase, triglycerides, and HDL biomarkers and the number of medications. Physical activity differentiated depressive symptoms, the social network, the dietary pattern, alkaline phosphatase, and medications. Conclusions: The stability of subjective well-being throughout advanced adulthood is highlighted, and it is observed that most participants up to 79 years of age consider themselves in good health. Actions that promote positive affect, social networking, and the practice of moderate to intense physical activity are recommended, as they are associated with physical and subjective health and subjective well-being.

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References

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Published

2024-05-06

How to Cite

Oliveira, A. L., Sousa, T., & Alvarez, M. (2024). Healthy longevity and dynamic balances of well-being, diet, and physical activity. Portuguese Journal of Behavioral and Social Research, 10(1), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.31211/rpics.2024.10.1.315

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Original Paper