The Quality of Life in Iranian Military Students Versus Iranian Students Norms: Effect of Physical Activity

Purpose: The quality of life is the overall well-being of individuals and societies. This study aimed to compare the quality of life between students in Imam Hossein University and Iranian students’ norms and the effects of high and moderate physical activity on the quality of life. Materials and Methods: This study was a cross-sectional, retroactive and comparative research. A sample of 227 scholar students of Imam Hossein University was randomly selected and asked to fill out WHOQOL-BREF and Global Physical Activity Questionnaire. Results: The results pointed out that physical and environmental dimensions show the highest and the lowest scores, respectively, among quality of life domains. Moreover, it was shown that psychological (t = 7.75, P = .0001) and environmental (t = 6.33, P = .0001) domains of Imam Hossein University students were better than Iranian students’ norms. In addition, students with high physical activity had higher scores of Physical health (t = 2.94, P = .004), psychological well-being (t = 2.17, P = .031), and total quality of life (t = 2.57, P = .011) in comparison with those with moderate levels of physical activity. Conclusion: Imam Hossein University students had a better perceived image of their body and appearance, more positive feelings, more self-esteem, more spiritual orientation, and religious and constructive personal beliefs. They also showed better learning potential, better memory, and better concentration powers while they had lower negative feelings. These findings were attributed to Imam Hossein University students’ monetary provisions, scholarships and the curriculum. Furthermore, it seems that high physical activity triggers better quality of life in young students, overall.