To do or not to do? Physical activity in relation to socioeconomic status and health – a salutogenic perspective in the context of targeted health dialogues

Abstract: It is well known that physical activity (PA) has a major positive impact on health and that the performance of PA is lower in low socioeconomic groups. However, more knowledge about the relationship between PA and health is needed especially between and within socioeconomic groups.This thesis aimed, from a salutogenic perspective, to increase the understanding of the relationship between physical activity and health in the adult population, with a particular focus on people with economic difficulties. A further aim was to validate questions about physical activity and to explore the people’s experiences of PA from a sense of coherence perspective, all in the context of targeted health dialogues.The first study in this thesis is a validation study. It validates a PA interview form and questions about sedentary time used in the targeted health dialogues. Studies II and III comprise quantitative analyses of PA, health and psychological factors in the population, especially in groups with low socioeconomic status (SES). Study IV is a qualitative deductive study based on interviews with participants with low SES in the targeted health dialogues. The deductive analysis contains the participants’ experiences of PA from a sense of coherence perspective.The findings in study I showed that the interview form and the single-item question about sedentary time could be considered as acceptable to use in Swedish targeted health dialogues. In study II, physically active people with low SES were shown to have the same odds of reporting good self-rated health compared to those with low PA and high SES. The findings in study III showed that within the group of people with self-reported economic difficulties, higher levels of PA were related to better mastery and more vitality. Study IV showed that it is essential for the participants to have an awareness of the health benefits of PA and their challenges in performing PA. The participants also constructed a plan to follow while utilising their resources, and their intrinsic motivation to achieve the PA recommendations and the PA benefits.This thesis brings a deeper knowledge and understanding of the healthperspective of PA. This knowledge can be used to further develop thetargeted health dialogues in a salutogenic way. It will give people,especially those with lower SES, the opportunity to use their resourcesto increase PA and thereby improve their future health.