Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Physical Activity and Sports on the General Health and Life Expectancy in Soldiers

Introduction: Physical activity is one of the factors that can improve dimensions of personality in society and play an essential role in community health. Objective: This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of physical activity and exercise on the general health and life expectancy in soldiers. Material and Methods: The present study is a descriptive correlational study. Two hundred soldiers were selected by available sampling method from a military base. Based on the amount of physical activity per week, soldiers are divided into two groups: active and inactive. They completed general health and life expectancy questionnaires. SPSS 16 was used for data analysis (P<0.05). Results: The results showed that active soldiers have a lower score in the subscales of physical symptoms (P=0.001), anxiety and insomnia (P=0.001), social dysfunction (P= 0.001), depression (P= 0.001), and the Total general health score (P= 0.001) compared to inactive soldiers. However, there was no significant difference between life expectancy scores between the two groups (P= 0.555). Discussion and Conclusion: The results of this study showed that active soldiers have better health. It is an important issue for garison’s officials for planning to enhance physical activity programs and soldiers’ health.