Exploring the Relationship between Physical Activity and Mental Well-Being among Office Employees in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Workplace physical inactivity, together with poor mental well-being, has become a significant issue affecting office-based employees. Understanding the relationship between physical activity and mental health is essential to developing effective strategies to promote workplace health.

This study investigated how physical activity relates to mental health outcomes among Saudi Arabian office workers with the goal of developing targeted intervention strategies.

A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 526 participants at the Saudi Workforce Inclusion Conference in Riyadh in October 2024, using a convenience sampling approach. Physical activity was assessed using the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ) and categorized as low, moderate, or high. Mental well-being was measured using the Mental Health Continuum Short Form (MHC-SF) and classified as languishing, moderate, or flourishing. Descriptive statistics and multiple regression analyses were conducted to identify predictors of mental well-being.

The survey showed that 52.3% of participants had low physical activity levels, while only 10.5% reached high levels. The mental well-being assessment revealed that languishing was present in 38.4% of participants, moderate well-being in 52.1%, and flourishing in only 9.5%. A regression analysis revealed that physical activity emerged as the strongest predictor of mental well-being (β = 0.534, p < .001), explaining 27.8% of the total variance.

Higher physical activity levels are associated with better mental well-being among office employees. Our findings suggest that workplace policies promoting physical activity may be beneficial for enhancing employee mental well-being.