Correlation between quality of life and physical activity level of professionals of the Family Health Support Center (NASF)

Abstract

Background: Health care workers are exposed to a high workload, resulting in an increase of job tasks and reduced physical activity, with consequent impairment of their quality of life. Physical activity is essential to improve motor skills and performance at work, and contributes to a healthy lifestyle. Objective: To analyze the relationship between quality of life and physical activity among Family Health Support Unit (FHSU) workers. Methods: We analyzed 19 FHSU workers aged 31.05±6.63 years old at the three FHSUs in Vitória de Santo Antão, Pernambuco, Brazil. For data collection we administered WHOQOL-BREF and Baecke’s questionnaire. Normality was investigated by means of the Shapiro-Wilk test and data were subjected to the Pearson correlation. Results: We found positive correlation between the global score on physical activity and the scores on exercise and active leisure (r=0.852, p<0.001) and work/school activity (r=0.611, p<0.001) domains and between quality of life physical health domain and the global score on usual physical activity (r=0.520, p<0.05). We further found significant correlation between years in the job and the physical activity exercise and active leisure domain (r=-0.649, p<0.001) and physical activity at work (r=-0.559, p<0.05). Conclusion: The results evidence significant correlation between physical activity and quality of life. Physical activity is essential to ensure continuity in job tasks, in addition to beneficial effects on social aspects.