Assessing the level of well-being in individuals practicing sport

Abstract

Background and aim: There is an increasing body of evidence that physical exercise may have a positive effect on people’s mental condition and well-being. Numerous study results indicate that physical activity helps in the treatment of depression and anxiety. This allows for a conclusion that sport – to a great extent – influences not only people’s physical aspects, but also their psyche. Sedentary lifestyle, time pressure and stress that accompanies people at an increasingly younger age contribute both to higher incidence of numerous civilisation diseases and to problems with mental health. The purpose of the study was to verify whether individuals practicing sports manifest better well-being than non-training individuals. Methods: A general interview was conducted with 80 students (40 individuals practicing sports and 40 individuals not practicing sports at all), whereupon they were requested to complete the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale questionnaire. Results: The individuals practicing sport exhibit greater well-being than the subjects from the control group. It was also demonstrated that the males in the study group exhibit greater wellbeing than the females from the same group However, no findings were made that longer duration of a single training session, its frequency or the time when a given person started practicing sport had any influence on his/her well-being. Conclusions: Practicing sports has a positive influence on people’s well-being. Physical activity should be promoted from as early an age as possible to minimise the risk of numerous diseases in the future, including those affecting mental health.