The Biopsychosocial Health Model Differentiates Long-Term Exercisers From Non-Exercisers: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background and Aims

The biopsychosocial (BPS) model considers that health and behavioral outcomes result from the interaction of biological, psychological, and social factors. Regular exercise is an essential component of modern-day healthy living. All three factors in the BPS model are related to long-term exercise. Therefore, this cross-sectional study aimed to compare adults exercising regularly for at least 3 years with their non-exercising counterparts on perceived health and stress (antagonistic, biopsychological), life satisfaction (psychological), and perceived income (psychosocial) while controlling for age, gender, and education level.

Methods

Participants were 461 Hungarian volunteers (74.83% female) aged 18−73 years. There were 274 regular exercisers and 187 non-exercisers. They completed the study on the Qualtrics research platform.

Results

A statistically significant (p < 0.001) multivariate analysis of covariance revealed that long-term exercisers scored lower on perceived stress and higher on perceived health, income, and life satisfaction than non-exercising adults. Consequently, the three factors of the BPS model differentiated the groups. Still, the effect sizes were relatively small. Finally, perceived stress was a statistically significant (p < 0.001) mediator of life satisfaction.

Conclusion

These findings support the idea that long-term exercise behavior can be studied via the BPS model and the role of stress in life satisfaction. The results have practical implications for promoting a healthy and satisfactory life targeting multi-level development through exercise based on the BPS model.