Relationship between physical activity, social support and eating habits with self-perceived health
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v73.117564Keywords:
Dietary habits, physical activity, self-rated health, social support, universityAbstract
Introduction: Self-rated health was a widely used indicator for integrating physical, social, and behavioral dimensions in the assessment of well-being, with physical activity, social support, and dietary habits identified as its main determinants.
Objective: The objective was to analyze the relationship between physical activity, social support, and dietary habits with self-rated health in adults from a private university in Guayaquil, Ecuador.
Methodology: A quantitative, non-experimental, cross-sectional, and correlational design was conducted with 199 participants aged 18 to 60 years. The FANTASTIC Questionnaire was applied, selecting the dimensions of physical activity, social support, and nutrition. Descriptive analyses were performed, followed by bivariate analyses using chi-square tests, and a logistic regression model adjusted for sex and age.
Results: Engaging in at least 30 minutes of daily physical activity was significantly associated with better self-rated health (ORa=2.70; 95% CI: 1.12–6.49; p=0.027). Social support showed a positive association at the margin of significance (ORa=2.09; p=0.062), while high consumption of ultra-processed foods was linked to a lower likelihood of reporting good self-rated health, although not statistically significant. The model presented adequate fit (Hosmer–Lemeshow p=0.62) and acceptable discriminative capacity (AUC=0.71).
Discussion: The findings were consistent with international studies highlighting the protective role of exercise and social support networks, as well as the adverse effects of ultra-processed food consumption on self-rated health.
Conclusions: Physical activity and social support emerged as key predictors of self-rated health, whereas the impact of ultra-processed food consumption required further exploration. This study provided useful evidence for the design of preventive interventions aimed at promoting healthy lifestyles.
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