142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

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Relationship between Exercise/PA and Sexual Satisfaction among Women

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Tuesday, November 18, 2014 : 10:50 AM - 11:10 AM

Duston Morris, PhD, MS, CHES, ACE-CPT , Department of Health Education, University of Central Arkansas, Conway, AR
Alexandra Marshall, PhD, MPH, CPH, CHES , Department of Health Behavior & Health Education, Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR
     
Audio (mp3) recording Recorded Presentation (mp4)
Background:  Most women value continued quality of life as they age. Biological, cognitive and social factors make the concept of aging unappealing (Branch, Katz, & Kniepman, 1984). Of primary concern is the decline in sexual functioning in both sexes (Masters & Johnson, 1970).  Previous research examined exercise/physical activity (PA) and female sexual response and demonstrated that vigorous physical exercise/PA activated the woman’s sexual response (Meston, 2000). The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between exercise/PA and sexual satisfaction among women.

Methods: The current study used a 30-item online questionnaire to collect data on components of exercise/PA and markers of sexual satisfaction among 278 women ages 18 to 74.

Results: Results of the Spearman Rho determined that aerobic frequency (r=.154, n=249, p<.05), aerobic duration (r=.131, n=248, p<.05), aerobic rate of perceived exertion (r=.129, n=244, p<.05), and recreation intensity (r=.208, n=129, p<.05) were positively correlated with reported overall satisfaction with the quality of orgasm. Also, the level of pleasure of orgasm was positively related to recreation intensity (r=.225, n=129, p<.05). Interestingly, there was negative correlation between rate of perceived exertion during sports (r=-.131, n=244, p<.05) and overall satisfaction with quality of orgasm.

Conclusions: Findings from this study demonstrate that there is a positive correlation between exercise/PA and perceived sexual satisfaction among women. These findings could be motivating factors for middle-aged and older women to promote or maintain participation in exercise/PA which can then contribute to healthy aging and sexuality.

Learning Areas:

Advocacy for health and health education
Other professions or practice related to public health
Public health or related research

Learning Objectives:
Identify 3 benefits of exercise that are related to improved sexuality among women. Describe 3 components of exercise that are related to levels of sexual satisfaction.

Keyword(s): Physical Activity, Sexuality

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: Dr. Duston Morris is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Sciences at the University of Central Arkansas. Dr. Morris is CHES and CTRS certified. His research interests include the relationship between exercise and physical and other healthy lifestyle characteristics for children and adults. Dr. Morris’s current research includes include the relationship between exercise and substance use, and the relationship between exercise and sexuality.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 4148.0: Emerging issues in women's health: high-risk pregnancies, media portrayals, and sexual satisfaction