School of Health and Human Development, University of Évora, Comprehensive Health Research Centre, CHRC, 7002-554 Évora, Portugal.
National Association for Skeletal Dysplasias, ANDO Portugal, 7005-144 Évora, Portugal.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2024 Aug 31;21(9):1160. doi: 10.3390/ijerph21091160.
Adults with achondroplasia face physical and psychosocial challenges that may impact their health-related quality of life and mental health. This exploratory cross-sectional study aimed to investigate relationships between health-related quality of life, mental health, and physical activity levels in adults with achondroplasia, focusing on potential gender differences.
Sixteen adults with achondroplasia (10 women, 6 men; age 37.2 ± 13.5 years) completed the Short Form Health survey, the Brief Symptom Inventory, and the International Physical Activity questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, non-parametric group comparisons, correlational analyses, and linear regressions were conducted.
Moderate physical activity showed strong positive correlations with general health (rs = 0.79, 95% CI [0.50, 0.92]), vitality (rs = 0.60, 95% CI [0.15, 0.85]), and physical functioning (rs = 0.62, 95% CI [0.18, 0.86]), on SF-36. Women reported lower quality of life scores than men across most SF-36 dimensions. Significant gender difference was observed in vitality (r = 0.61) and pain (r = 0.55). Physically active participants presented better outcomes in general health (r = 0.63) and vitality (r = 0.55) compared to inactive participants.
This study provides preliminary evidence suggesting potential benefits of moderate-intensity physical activity on health-related quality of life and mental health among adults with achondroplasia, with notable gender differences. While limited by sample size and study design, the findings highlight the need for larger, longitudinal studies to further explore the role of physical activity in enhancing well-being in this population.
成人生长激素缺乏症患者面临身体和心理社会挑战，可能影响其健康相关生活质量和心理健康。本探索性横断面研究旨在调查成人生长激素缺乏症患者的健康相关生活质量、心理健康和身体活动水平之间的关系，重点关注潜在的性别差异。
16 名成人生长激素缺乏症患者（10 名女性，6 名男性；年龄 37.2±13.5 岁）完成了简明健康调查量表、简明症状量表和国际身体活动问卷。进行描述性统计、非参数组比较、相关分析和线性回归。
适度的身体活动与一般健康（rs=0.79，95%置信区间[0.50，0.92]）、活力（rs=0.60，95%置信区间[0.15，0.85]）和身体机能（rs=0.62，95%置信区间[0.18，0.86]）呈强正相关。女性在大多数 SF-36 维度上报告的生活质量评分低于男性。在活力（r=0.61）和疼痛（r=0.55）方面观察到显著的性别差异。与不活跃的参与者相比，活跃的参与者在一般健康（r=0.63）和活力（r=0.55）方面表现出更好的结果。
本研究提供了初步证据，表明中等强度的身体活动可能对成人生长激素缺乏症患者的健康相关生活质量和心理健康有益，且存在显著的性别差异。虽然受到样本量和研究设计的限制，但研究结果强调需要进行更大、更长期的研究，以进一步探索身体活动在增强该人群幸福感中的作用。
