Physical Activity as a Crucial Determinant of Health

Abstract

Introduction: Physical activity is an indispensable attribute of human life. Appropriately chosen physical exercises help in the development of human organism, health improvement and preservation. Physical activity is with us for the whole life; it is considered as one of the most important factors having influence on physical and mental development of children and adolescents and in the adulthood – on health state and quality of life. Scientific research has shown that physical activity is usually associated with the significant improvement of functional abilities and health state; it can often prevent or minimise the exacerbation of some diseases. The lack or low physical activity impairs motor activity, physical efficiency and also increases the probability of the diseases of affluence. Aim: The influence of physical activity on health state. Material and Methods: The research method was survey methodology on the subject of physical activity. The survey involved 100 randomly selected people. Among the respondents, there were 20% of children, 25% of adolescents and 55% of adults. Results: The research shows that 42% of respondents take physical exercise two or three times a week, 35% of them claim they exercise once a week, 17% – every day and 6% – never. The most popular physical activity among the respondents were walks (31%) and next – cycling (14%). 90% of the people surveyed consider that physical exercises positively affect human health. 27% of respondents noticed better mood due to physical exercises, 20% of them – higher resistance to colds, and 14% of surveyed noticed higher metabolic rate. Conclusions: 1. Physical activity is more and more popular in each age group. 2. The majority of people surveyed feel the positive effects of physical activity. 3. The adults pay more attention to their body weight than the adolescents. 4. The majority of respondents say they spend their time in an active way.