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The Associations of Physical Activity with General Well-Being and the Prevalence of Health Problems among Estonians Aged 65 and Over
Doris Sabre, Saima Kuu
Tallinn University, Estonia
Aim: Thesis examined associations between physical activity and older adults’ general health, well-being, and health problems. The study analysed self-rated health, well-being, health problem prevalence, physical activity levels, gender differences, age associations, and relationships between health, well-being, health problems and aspects of physical activity. Methods: This cross-sectional study collected data via a convenience-sampled questionnaire administered through Google Forms from November 2025 to January 2026. The sample included 196 Estonian respondents (72% women, n = 141; 28% men, n = 55), with a mean age of 71.9 years (range 65–95). Results: Overall, 57.2% rated their health as very good or good. A total of 35.2% of participants met the WHO recommendation of performing muscle-strengthening exercises on ≥2 days per week. Higher activity was linked to better self-rated health, while longer sedentary time was negatively related to all well-being indicators. WHO-5 scores showed over 80,6% had good well-being (mean 16,2 ± 4,94), with 80.6% mostly calm and stress-free and 74% active and energetic, only 26% felt refreshed in the past two weeks. Fatigue (78.6%), muscle and joint pain (75%), and physical pain (63.3%) were most common, headaches (24.5%) and digestive problems (34.2%) were less frequent. Gender and age were associated with digestive disorders, with women and older respondents more affected. WHO-5 scores were positively related to walking and exercise, and negatively to sitting time. Conclusions: Participants frequently reported fatigue, physical and musculoskeletal pain, while headaches and digestive problems were less common. Few engaged in muscle-strengthening exercises, and longer sedentary time was linked to poorer well-being.
