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Published on: March 7, 2019
Is Engagement in Physical Activity Related to Its Perceived Mental Health Benefits Among People With Depression and
Henry Onyeaka1, Juliana Zambrano1, Hannah Szlyk1
1Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA (HO, JZ, CC, JCH, JT); Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA (HO, JZ, CC, JCH); Department of Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, Boston, MA, USA (HO, JZ); Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA (HS); School of Social Work, The University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX, USA (PB); Plains Regional Medical Center, Clovis, NM, USA (CM); Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA (CM); Department of Psychiatry, Community Health of South Florida, Miami, FL, USA (VE); Faculty of Life Sciences and Education, University of South Wales, UK (EAO); Department of Psychiatry, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA (JT); Division of Psychology and Mental Health,University of Manchester, Manchester, UK (JF).
Objective:
To examine the prevalence of awareness of PA (physical activity) benefits among those with mental disorders and explore how this is related to actual PA levels in this population.
Methods:
We queried data from the Health Information National Trends Survey 2019. A sample of 1,139 adults with self-reported depression and anxiety (61% female; mean age of 52.5 years) was analyzed. Multivariable logistic regression was employed to investigate the association between awareness that PA benefits mental health and respondents' levels of PA.
Results:
Of the entire sample, a total of 904 individuals (80.9%) endorsed awareness that PA helps reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety. In multivariable analysis, awareness that PA improves mental health was significantly associated with greater odds of being less sedentary (OR 2.31; P = 0.025) and meeting national recommendations for weekly physical activity (OR 2.35; P = 0.046).
Conclusion:
Overall, findings from this nationally representative survey data indicates that about 4 in 5 adults living with depression and anxiety in the United States endorsed awareness of the mental health benefits of PA. Furthermore, we found that the awareness of these benefits is related to PA engagement.
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