Association of domain-specific physical activity with depressive symptoms: A population-based study

It remains unclear whether all physical activity (PA) domains (e.g., occupation-related PA [OPA], transportation-related PA [TPA], and leisure-time PA [LTPA]) have equivalent beneficial relationships. We aimed to investigate the associations of OPA, TPA, and LTPA with depressive symptoms in adults.

We included and analyzed 31,221 participants (aged ≥18 years) from the cross-sectional 2007-2018 U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). The PA domains were assessed by a self-report questionnaire and categorized based on the PA guidelines. Depressive symptoms were measured by the nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire.

Participants achieving PA guidelines (≥150 min/week) were 26% (odds ratio [OR] 0.74, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.68-0.80) and 43% (OR 0.57, 95% CI 0.51-0.62) less likely to have depressive symptoms depending on total PA and LTPA, respectively, while OPA or TPA did not demonstrate lower risks of depressive symptoms. LTPA at levels of 1-149, 150-299, and ≥300 min/week was associated with 31% (OR 0.69, 95% CI 0.60-0.78), 43% (OR 0.57, 95% CI 0.49-0.67), and 51% (OR 0.49, 95% CI 0.43-0.55) lower odds of depressive symptoms, respectively.

LTPA, but not OPA or TPA, was associated with a lower risk of depressive symptoms at any amount, suggesting that significant mental health would benefit from increased PA, even at levels below the recommendation.