Effectiveness of Exercise Activity on Mental Health, Depression and Life Expectancy of Improved Addicts

Introduction: Drug abuse can affect the mental, physical and social health of individuals. In this regard, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of exercise activity on mental health, depression and life expectancy of improved addicts. Methods: 86 patients from Jahrom City, who had stopped at least one year taking any drugs were voluntarily selected and divided into active (n=34) (Mean ± SD; aged: 36.44 ± 9.91 yrs., height: 177.55 ± 6.96 cm., weight: 79.63 ± 7.60 kg) and inactive (n=52) (Mean ± SD; aged: 39.22 ± 9.24 yrs., height: 173.54 ± 8.05 cm., weight: 76.98 ± 10.77kg) groups. General health questionnaire (GHQ) and Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) were used for data collection. Data analysis was done by U Mann Whitney test were using SPSS 18 software (p≤0.05). Results: The results showed that the mean mental health of the active group was significantly lower than the inactive group (p = 0.008). Additionally, the active group was significantly less depressed than its inactive counterparts (p = 0.001). Furthermore, the active group had a higher life expectancy than the inactive group, although this difference was not statistically significant (p= 0.36). Conclusion: According to the results of the study, active improved addicts had a better status in mental health, depression and life expectancy than inactive people.