Introduction

Health and wellness, driving individual quality of life, and public health phenomena are

very important to social well-being. There has been an increasing focus on linking physical

activities with health status in the contemporary setting. A huge number of studies have shown

that healthy fitness has a significant effect on reducing the risk of chronic diseases and

improving mental health and quality of life. Consequently, exploring the connection between

exercise regimens and health effects is still an important research area.

The fundamental purpose of this study is to extensively examine the role of bringing to

light how exercise helps promote overall health. With the high rate of physical inactivity and

chronic disease, recognizing the value of physical activity in preventing health problems is

crucial. Through this study, the authors try to unravel the connection between the frequency of

exercise and self-reported health to inform health promotion strategies and give the basis for

developing evidence-based programs.

One of the most widely respected data sources concerning societal attitudes and

behaviors is the General Social Survey (GSS), which conducts a detailed analysis of public

opinions and behaviors, providing an in-depth account of patterns and trends over time. The

analysis of the cumulative GSS dataset, which is geared from 1972 to 2018, creates ground to

situate the study results in a wider societal context. GSS data show long-term changes and allow

comparisons across different demographic groups.

Hypothesis

Based on existing literature and theoretical frameworks, this study will be guided by the

following proposed hypothesis:

 Ha. Individuals who engage in daily physical exercise will report better overall

health than those who do not exercise regularly.

Characteristics Of the Respondents

The respondents of the survey population constitute a broad demographic structure. The

respondents' demographic information includes age, gender, marital status, education level, and

work experience. Regarding gender distribution, about half of the participants were male, at

44.44%, while the other half, around 55.56%, comprised female participants. On the employment

front, it is noteworthy that 58.33% were employed by someone else, 16.67% were students, and

25% were fulfilled employees full-time. Marital status had a footing that 99% of the respondents

had not been married before. Education accounts for differences in skills. A bachelor's degree or

higher is held by 37.50% of people, compared to 12.50% who have less than a high school

diploma. The ideological spectrum varies from conservatively (25%) to strongly liberal (25%).

This point lies in between (50%) who did not identify as conservative or liberal. Perfect

symmetry exists in the university's race/ethnicity statistics. Out of 100% of the students polled,

87.50% identified as Black/African Americans, whereas 87.50% identified themselves as

Hispanic/Latino. The cohort of 25 years was exactly a mid-point of respondents' ages. Therefore,

the sample became a mechanism for representation of both genders, social classes, education,

political ideologies, and racial/ethnic identities, which was a powerful instrument for making a

meaningful and diverse study on health and happiness.

Table 1: Respondents demographic

Gender N Percentage Employment status N Percentage

Male 4 44.44% Employed for someone else 7 58.33%

Female 5 55.56% Self-employed 0 0%

 Out of work for a year or more 0 0%

Marital status Out of work for more than one 0 0%

year

Married 0 0% A stay-at-home partner 0 %

In a civil union 0 0% A student 2 16.67%

Living together as 0 0% Retired 0

an unmarried

couple

Divorce 0 0% Unable to work due to 0

disability or other reason

Windowed 0 0% Working part-time 0

Single/never been 9 100% Working full time 3 25.00%

married

Education Ideological orientation

Less than high 1 12.50% Strongly conservative 0 0%

school

High school 1 12.50% Conservative 2 25.00%

diploma or GED

Some college or 3 37.50% Neither conservative nor 4 50%

technical school liberal

Associate degree 0 0% Liberal 0 0

Bachelor’s degree 3 37.50% Strongly liberal 2 25%

 Graduate degree 0 0%

Race/ethnicity Age

Black/African 7 87.50% Median 25

American

Asian/pacific 0 0%

islander

Non-Hispanic 0 0%

white/Anglo

Hispanic/Latino 1 12.50%

Native 0 0%

American/America

n Indiana

Alaskan native 0 0%

Near East Asian 0 0%

Arab-American

Dependent Variable

Table 2 is shown below and provides the Dependent Variable used in this study—DV

inquiries about respondents' self-reported health status. None of the respondents reported

"Excellent" or "Poor" in the health status category. Almost all of them, around 55.56%, had a

"Good" health status, and 44.44% had a "Fair" health status. That means more than half of the

respondents perceive their health as good or fair. This difference in self-perceived health serves

the purpose of acquiring a more multi-faceted way of determining how people dimension health,
and this way of investigation is vital for exploring other relations, such as exercise frequency and

general well-being.

Table 2: Dependent Variable

category frequency percentage

Excellent 0 0%

Good 5 55.56%

Fair 4 44.44%

Poor 0 0%

Independent Variable

In the independent variable (IV) table, several exercises are listed on the level by

level. From the data, one can perceive that the larger population of the subjects, 55.56%, have

low workouts titled "Rarely" in their activities. Moreover, 22.22% of respondents exercise

"Several times a week," and 11.11% exercise daily. There is a deviation where 12.11% of men

claimed that they do it only once a week, so it needs to be verified to ensure the data. A

respondent stated that all the interviewees had never exercised before. This distribution shows

differences in the amount of physical activity between the respondents, pointing to the fact that

certain categories of respondents exercise differing habits. Comprehending these patterns

provides the basis for taking key positions regarding the link between exercise frequency and

health status perception and developing strategies to encourage physical activity in people.

Table 3: Independent Variable

category frequency percentage

Daily 1 11.11%

Several times a week 2 22.22%

 Once a week 1 121.11%

Rarely 4 55.56%

Never 0 0%

FINDINGS

Testing the Hypothesis

The hypothesis focused on ascertaining whether those individuals who do daily physical

exercise experience more general health benefits than those who do not regularly do physical

work. This hypothesis is validated via crosstab analysis. It uncovers that those who exercise

several times a week or once a week scored high in their health, while most individuals who

hardly work out only reported a good health of 60%. It implies an inverse relationship between

regular physical activity and the perception of one's health.

Table 4: Cross Tab

New Cross Tab

The hypothesis examined the relation between the healthiness of the diet and overall

health perception. The provided crosstab indicates that people who mostly eat fruits and
vegetables have greater personal self-assessed health than those who are mostly avid fast and

processed food consumers. As 100% of the respondents who mainly eat fruits and vegetables

believe that their life is going well, only 25% of those who mostly eat processed fast food declare

the same. Moreover, 75% of people who mainly consume starch were also healthy. This shows

that the likelihood of experiencing overall better health is higher among regular fruits and

vegetables and grains consumers. On the other hand, the conclusion suggests that an increased

number of people who mostly consume processed fast food generally receive fair or poor health

reports. Thus, the crosstab of dietary habits substantiates the assumption that diet affects health

perception.

Table 5: New Cross Tab

Q6: How would y...l that apply)?

prefer
Mostly Mostly
Tota grai protei Othe not...t
Fru...Vegeta pro...fa
l ns ns r o
bles st-food
answe

r.

0.0 0.0 0.0

0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
% % %

63.2 75.0 60.0 66.7

100.0% 25.0% 0.0%
% % % %
 Q6: How would y...l that apply)?

prefer
Mostly Mostly
Tota grai protei Othe not...t
Fru...Vegeta pro...fa
l ns ns r o
bles st-food
answe

r.

36.8 25.0 40.0 33.3

0.0% 75.0% 0.0%
% % % %

0.0 0.0 0.0

0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
% % %

The Relationship between Dietary Habits and Health

Moreover, the results match the findings of the General Social Survey (GSS), meaning

there is a healthy distribution of health statuses across the categories. Nonetheless, further

examination is needed to determine the degree of the response alignments and the differences

between the sample and the overall U.S. population. These differences could result from many

more items, such as demographics or survey methodologies.

Table 6: Frequency Distribution

Frequency Distribution

Cells contain: PHYSACTS

 4 5
-Column percent 1 2 3 ROW
A Not at
-Weighted N Completely Mostly Moderately TOTAL
little all

1: 31.2 11.7 4.5 3.8 3.9 23.8

EXCELLENT 330.8 29.5 7.1 2.8 .5 370.7

53.1 58.3 39.9 27.6 7.8 51.0

2: GOOD
563.4 146.3 63.2 20.7 .9 794.6

14.4 26.4 46.6 38.2 45.1 21.0

HEALTH 3: FAIR
152.4 66.2 73.7 28.7 5.4 326.6

1.4 3.6 9.1 30.4 43.1 4.3

4: POOR
15.1 9.0 14.4 22.9 5.2 66.4

100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

COL TOTAL
1,061.8 251.0 158.3 75.2 12.0 1,558.2

DISCUSSIONS AND CONCLUSION

The results presented in this study supported the hypothesis that those who practice

physical activity daily have better self-reported health conditions than those who do not have a

regular workout. The crosstabulation between exercise frequency and self-reported health status

revealed a clear trend. If we keep track of the frequency of exercise and the rate at which

excellent or good health is reported, the first will rise, too. However, exercise is also linked to

how healthy one feels since individuals who engage in physical activity less often report fair or
poor health at higher rates. This implies a consensus among the survey respondents that regular

exercise and good health were related.

The correlation graph between the data from GSS and my findings is substantial. The

GSS crosstabulation also demonstrated the intercorrelation between GSS and sports-level

activities, and higher activity levels were negatively related to better self-rated health

status. Thus, the results of this examination support the phenomenon in the whole nation, a fact

observed in the published GSS data.

Nevertheless, data and some queries which have their limitations should be

considered. The data relies on self-report measures, which might lead to bias or inaccuracy. In

addition, the survey questions on exercise frequency and health status are likely broad enough

that the participants' responses may not fully exhibit the complexity of these concepts to the

required degree. The story might be improved with more objective measures of physical activity

and outcome health, including doctors' visits or activity trackers.

However, the next legitimate step in this research field is to perform longitudinal studies

to discover the long-term effects of daily training on health. Also, inquiring about prospective

mechanisms that underlie the link between exercise and well-being, whether physiological

change or psychological effects, is also likely to yield more information. From this perspective,

the mentioned discoveries support the widespread view that routine physical activities are crucial

for healthy living.