Preventive health services and physical activity improve health-related quality of life in Mexican older adults

Objective. To evaluate the combined use of IMSS pre­ventive health services (PHS) and the practice of physical activity (PA) in order to determine their association with the perceived health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of older adults. Materials and methods. A survey-based cross-sectional study was conducted at nine primary health care units (PHCUs) in Mexico City. The 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey evaluated the HRQoL, while PA and PHS use were assessed through self-report. Linear regression analyses were performed to determine the relationship between these three variables. Results. Of the 1 085 older adults who participated in the study, 36.8% used PHS, and 23.3% reported that they engage in PA. After controlling for possible effects due to sociodemographic and health differences, we found that participants who were physically active and used PHS reported better perceived HRQoL scores. Conclusions. The combined use of preventive practices such as the use of PHS and the practice of PA can help improve the perceived HRQoL of older adults.