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Association of accelerometer-derived physical activity pattern with depression: Weekend warrior or regular activity?
Shanshan Xu1, Caifeng Zhao1, Liang Hu2
1Department of Sports Science, College of Education, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
Journal of Affective Disorders
|April 5, 2025
Summary
Physical activity (PA), including the weekend warrior (WW) pattern, is linked to lower depression rates. Regularly active individuals show the most benefit, but WW offers a feasible alternative for depression prevention.
Area of Science:
- Epidemiology
- Behavioral Science
- Public Health
Background:
- The association between physical activity (PA) patterns, specifically the weekend warrior (WW) style, and depression is not well understood.
- Objective accelerometer data can provide precise insights into PA behaviors and their mental health implications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between different physical activity patterns and depression prevalence.
- To compare the effects of weekend warrior (WW) and other physical activity (PA) patterns on depression risk.
Main Methods:
- Utilized accelerometer data from 6080 US adults (NHANES 2011-2014) to classify PA patterns: inactive, insufficiently active (IA), WW, and regularly active (RA).
- Assessed depression using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9).
- Employed multivariate logistic regression to analyze associations between PA patterns and depression, controlling for covariates.
Main Results:
- All PA patterns (IA, WW, RA) were associated with a significantly lower prevalence of depression compared to the inactive group.
- The regularly active (RA) pattern showed the strongest association with reduced depression (71.0% lower prevalence).
- The weekend warrior (WW) pattern also demonstrated a significant antidepressant effect (59.4% lower prevalence), though less pronounced than RA. Age moderated this association, with no significant difference between WW and RA in older adults.
Conclusions:
- Engaging in physical activity, irrespective of the pattern, is linked to a reduced prevalence of depression.
- The regularly active (RA) pattern is most effective for depression risk reduction, while the weekend warrior (WW) pattern offers a viable, potentially more accessible, alternative.
- Physical activity interventions should consider promoting various PA patterns, including WW, to combat depression across diverse populations.
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