| Determinants of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) could be essential for public health workers who seek to influence the quality and quantity of people's healthy years in a society. Regular leisure time physical activity has been associated with HRQOL; however, limited evidence exists on the association of total physical activity and sedentary behavior with HRQOL in a multiethnic Asian society. Increasing total physical activity and decreasing sedentary behavior are synonymous with active living; therefore, the current study was used to determine if active living was associated with HRQOL. The theoretical foundation for the study was an ecological model in which the complex milieu of domain of activity, societal factors, and health status were considered. Cross-sectional analyses were applied via secondary data from the Singapore Ministry of Health 2010 National Health Survey (N = 4302). After adjusting for confounding variables in a logistic regression analysis and using the lowest total physical activity group as the reference, participation in a high volume of total physical activity was independently associated with a decreased likelihood of having suboptimal mental wellbeing (OR = 0.71, CI = 0.50-0.99) and self-rated overall health (OR = 0.66, CI = 0.54-0.80). Conversely, participation in high amounts sedentary behavior compared to the referent of low group was independently associated (OR = 1.39, CI = 1.01-1.91) with an increased likelihood of suboptimal mental wellbeing. Positive social change may result from the current findings, highlighting the importance of creating supportive environments for promoting active living for improving population health. This information calls attention to the need to develop solutions that encourages physical activity at work, during transport, and recreation to improve HRQOL. |
