mental disorder prevention and physical activity in iranian elderly

background: mental disorders such as depression, anxiety and dementia are common in elderly. however, physical activity is suggested to be effective in preventing such aging-related disorders. the aim of this study was to investigate the role of physical activity on mental health in later life. methods: four hundred elderly people were randomly divided into the intervention and control groups. the intervention consisted of exercise twice a week for two months. mental health status before, just after, and three months after the study was assessed with the 28-item general health questionnaire (ghq-28(. results: the mean of the ghq-28 total scale decreased in the case group and this change remained significant after three months (before: 8 ± 5.5, after three months: 5.6 ± 4.6, p < .001). ghq subscales including somatization, anxiety, social dysfunction, and depression decreased significantly in the case group just after and three months after the intervention. conclusion: physical activity significantly prevents mental disorder in older adults. although it has effects on anxiety, social dysfunction, and depression, the greatest influence is on improving the somatization symptoms.