Physical activity, social support, and family structure as determinants of mood among European-American and African-American women

The literature indicates that mood is an important predictor of physical and psychological well-being. Mood influences a person's health perceptions, treatment compliance, and recovery. Given the importance of mood as an outcome, it is important to identify predictors of mood. The current study examined physical activity, social support, and family structure as determinants of mood among women who had recently begun a walking program. Two hundred and fifty-nine European-American and African-American women between the ages of 30 and 60 participated in the study. A significant positive relation was found between physical activity, social support, and mood, while a negative relation was found between number of children and mood. Hierarchical regression revealed that physical activity, social support of friends, marital status, and number of children were significant predictors of women's mood. Race moderated the relation between number of children and mood. This study suggests that physical activity, social support, and family may be important factors in the psychological well-being of women.