Abstract
This study examined the effects of 6-week exercise programme, run by an occupational therapy student, on the psychological wellbeing and happiness of a group of 15 elderly community-dwelling women. The Memorial University of Newfoundland Scale of Happiness was used to measure the subjects' wellbeing both before and after the intervention and was also administered to a control group of 20 women.
The results indicated that the exercising women experienced a significant improvement in happiness and wellbeing while the controls did not. This finding appears to support the hypothesis that there is an association between physical exercise and mental health. Potential threats to the validity of the results are discussed.
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