Mental Health Research Paper

Everyone has their own definition of being physically healthy. For some people, being healthy means having no illness and disabilities or having the ability to play sports or participate in any physical activity. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), health is defined as “A state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”. A common problem with an average person’s health around the world is the component of their physical health. One problem is that their physical health is slowly declining as they are growing older. The elderly are usually the ones who are the most associated with the concept of having poor health, but it actually has an impact on all age groups. For …show more content…
One of those ways is to have more community parks and recreation with various courts and fields. Having parks and recreation in communities will not only be a positive factor in improving someone’s physical well-being but also their mental health. “Mental health plays a major role in people’s ability to maintain good physical health and participate in health promoting behaviors” (Colman). Colman is saying that being outdoors and surrounded by nature and being around other people will help improve one’s mental health as well as their physical health. Parks will allow people to participate in different physical activities like playing basketball, tennis, soccer, running around, or just playing fetch with your dogs. For example, in Beijing, China, they have parks that have exercise equipment for the elderly to exercise on. These parks are meant to promote physical activity and a healthy lifestyle in the elderly community. In addition to the exercise equipment for the elderly, there are also playgrounds next to it for the children. Communities should host more events to involve everyone to join a run or walk day. “These parks provide community members with opportunities to engage in nature through hiking, walking, biking and other activities” (Colman). In San Diego, the Parks and Recreation Department provides their community with “openspace parks”. Openspace parks generally don’t have a lot of play structures; …show more content…
In Germany, there was study conducted where the results were “that people from Germany scored increasingly better on tests of brain processing speed done between 2006 and 2012. But, during the same time, the mental health and physical abilities of the study participants declined” (Seniors Getting Smarter, Research Shows…)”. The physical ability in the elderly community is gradually declining because they aren’t as mobile as they once were when they were younger and more active. For example, the elderly are usually seen sitting in a wheelchair or using a walker or a cane or in need of assistance to help get from point A to point B. However, some elderly are more active than others, they do tai chi and little exercises to help keep their blood flowing and their bones and muscles moving. The education one gets about their health will impact them positively or negatively as they grow older. “Decreases in mental and physical health were greatest in men aged 50 to 64 with low levels of education, the findings showed” (Seniors Getting Smarter Research Shows…”). This statistic is saying that people with lower levels of education, especially men, are more likely to have problems in their health than women. In another article, the author states, “With the exception of functional limitations, researchers noted significant increases in each