Exercise to socialize? Bidirectional relationships between physical activity and loneliness in middle-aged and older American adults.

ABSTRACT: Physical inactivity and loneliness are both associated with health risks and can affect each other through various social and behavioral mechanisms. However, current evidence on this relationship is equivocal and mostly based on cross-sectional data. This longitudinal study aimed to determine whether current levels of physical activity (moderate and vigorous intensity) and loneliness are associated with future respective states of themselves and each other. We used data from waves 6-14 (2002-2018) of the Health and Retirement Study (n = 20 134) in a mixed-effects and random-intercept cross-lagged panel model. Analysis showed that current loneliness and physical activity were associated with each future respective state. Additionally, weekly participation in moderate-intensity, but not vigo

SUBMITTER: Surkalim DL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11228862 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature