Background: Research on the relationship between physical activity and aging symptoms among men is limited in China.
Methods: Eight hundred nineteen participants aged 40 to 70 (mean age = 58.25) were administered the International Physical Activity Questionnaire and Aging Males' Symptoms scale (AMS) in face-to-face interviews between 2009 and 2010. Ordinal logistic regression and generalized linear models were used to examine severity of aging symptoms. AMS total score and subscale scores (psychological, somatic, and sexual health) were examined according to physical activity level.
Results: Participants who reported higher levels of physical activity were significantly less likely to develop aging symptoms compared with those who reported lower levels of physical activity, both with (odds ratio [OR] = 0.78, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.64 to 0.95) and without (OR = 0.70, 95% CI: 0.56 to 0.87) adjustment for age, body mass index (BMI), smoking, alcohol consumption, and chronic disease. In addition, physical activity was negatively correlated with AMS total score (P < .01) and scores for somatic (P < .01) and sexual (P = .04) health. After covariate adjustment, the negative correlation between physical activity and all AMS scores remained significant (P < .01).
Conclusion: Physical activity is negatively correlated with aging symptoms among middle-aged men in Shanghai.