Participation in a 12-month digital lifestyle program was associated with increased physical activity, and physical activity was associated with better HRQoL largely independently of weight change, although follow-up was incomplete and the magnitude of the individual associations was modest.
Physical activity increased significantly over 12 months among participants in the digital lifestyle program.
Within individuals, periods of higher-than-usual physical activity were associated with lower BMI.
Higher physical activity was associated with better scores in most HRQoL dimensions, including the physical and mental component scores.
Indirect associations of physical activity with HRQoL via BMI were largely limited to physical domains, while direct associations predominated.
Physical activity was associated with better HRQoL largely independently of weight change, supporting physical activity as a treatment goal alongside weight management.
This study followed 1732 people, mostly women with a median age of 52 and a high average body mass index, who took part in a 12-month digital lifestyle program. Participants reported their physical activity, weight, and quality of life over the year. On average, their physical activity rose from about 2.2 to 3.1 MET-hours per day, a standard measure of activity energy use. The researchers asked whether being more active was linked to better quality of life only because people lost weight, or whether activity had its own link. They found that when people were more active than usual, their BMI tended to be lower, and higher activity was linked to better scores on most quality-of-life measures, both physical and mental. Weight change explained only a small part of these links, mainly for physical measures. For physical functioning and bodily pain, around 85–88% of the association was independent of weight. This research suggests that physical activity may benefit how people feel and function beyond its effect on weight, so it may be worth emphasizing alongside weight loss in lifestyle programs. The findings should be read cautiously: weight and activity were self-reported, not everyone completed follow-up, the individual associations were modest, and the design shows associations rather than proof of cause and effect.
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Upload Your LabsMcCann I, Joki A, Suojanen L, Venäläinen M, Pietiläinen K, Ahola A. (2026). Disentangling direct and weight-mediated effects of physical activity on health-related quality of life in a 12-month real-world digital lifestyle intervention.. Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-026-04425-3