The effect of step-aerobic exercises on quality of life, love of life and continuity of mental health in women

Objective: The aim of our study is to examine the effect of step-aerobic exercises on the quality of life, love of life, and the continuity of mental health in university student women. Material and Method: The research sample consists of female university students who continue actively in the 2022-2023 academic year at Gümüşhane University. In the study program, participants participated in 60 minutes of step-aerobic exercise daily, 3 days a week, for 6 weeks. Our study used the personal information form consisting of 8 questions, the Quality of Life scale, the Athlete mental health continuity-short form, and the Love of Life scale. Analysis of the data was done in SPSS 22 package program. Results: While the 6-week step aerobic training of the female participants participating in our study had an effect on the physical and mental score values of the exercise group on the quality of life sub-dimensions, the effect was only on the mental score in the control group. Athlete mental health continuity sub-dimensions were found to affect positively in the exercise group, while negatively affecting all sub-dimensions in the control group. In the love of life sub-dimensions, it was calculated that there were increases in all sub-dimensions in the exercise group and decreases in all sub-dimensions in the control group. It is seen that quality of life explains 33.8% of the change in the level of love of life. It is seen that quality of life explains a significant part of the change in athlete mental health continuity as 28,5%. It is seen that love of life explains a significant part of the change in athlete mental health continuity as 40,7%. Conclusion: It has been calculated that six-week step-aerobic exercises increase the quality of life, continuity of mental health, and love of life in female students. As a suggestion to our study, step-aerobic sessions can be opened periodically for female students.