Optimism predicts sustained vigorous physical activity in postmenopausal women

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Public Health
• Gerontology

Background:

• Optimism and cynical hostility impact health behaviors and outcomes.
• Understanding these traits' influence on physical activity is crucial for women's health.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the association between optimism, cynical hostility, and longitudinal vigorous physical activity (PA) in postmenopausal women.
• To assess how these psychological factors influence sustained engagement in high-intensity exercise.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 73,485 postmenopausal women from the Women's Health Initiative (WHI).
• Optimism and cynical hostility assessed using validated scales (Life Orientation Test-Revised, Cook Medley questionnaire).
• Vigorous PA tracked prospectively over 6 years using hierarchical generalized linear mixed models, adjusting for covariates.

Main Results:

• Most optimistic women were 15% more likely to engage in vigorous PA over 6 years (p < 0.001).
• Vigorous PA declined significantly with age, with rates falling ~60% between age 50 and study baseline.
• Cynical hostility showed no significant association with longitudinal vigorous PA after adjustments.

Conclusions:

• Higher optimism is associated with maintaining vigorous physical activity in postmenopausal women.
• Optimism may play a protective role in women's long-term health by promoting sustained physical activity.
• Interventions targeting optimism could potentially enhance physical activity adherence in aging women.