PHYSICAL FUNCTIONING AND GENERAL HEALTH OF WOMEN FROM URBAN AND RURAL AREAS

Sara Szakal, Master degree student, Faculty of Sport and Physical Education, University of Novi Sad, Serbia


Abstract

Women generally live longer than men because of both biological and behavioural advantages;
still women’s longer lives are not necessarily healthy lives. Considering that women from rural
areas are often recognized as particularly vulnerable social groups concerning quality of life and
physical activity, the study was conducted aiming to determine physical functioning and general
health of women from urban and rural areas, as well as to examine differences between them in
these health domains. Sample comprises of females aged 30 to 60 yrs, totally 146 participants
(73 from urban areas, 73 from rural areas). For the purposes of this study two scales, Physical
functioning and General health perceptions, from the SF-36 Health Survey. The results obtained
show that significant differences between two groups of participant exist in both domains, with
more positive self-perceptions of physical functioning in urban females and more positive global
health perceptions in rural females. These results confirm that personal satisfaction and
perception of one’s global health are affected not merely by the physical functioning, but by
other health components as well.

Keywords: women, health, physical functioning, rural areas, urban areas

 



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