Physical activity level, depression and anxiety of physical education student

Abstract

Aim: To investigate the association between the presence of anxiety and depression symptoms and physical activity (PA) levels among undergraduate students in a higher education program. Method: This correlational, quantitative study was conducted with 180 undergraduate students in Physical Education. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HAD) and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire - Short Form (IPAQ-SF) were used. Descriptive analyses, network analysis, and ordinal logistic regression were applied to estimate associations between PA levels and symptoms of anxiety and depression. Results: The mean age was 21.84 (±3.48) years, and 51.1% were male. 50.6% of the students did not present anxiety symptoms, and 70% did not present depressive symptoms. Vigorous PA showed a negative association with five of the seven HAD-D items and with one item of the HAD-A. In logistic regression, PA showed no statistically significant association with anxiety or depression, although moderate (OR=0.94; p=0.096) and vigorous (OR=0.93; p=0.071) PA showed a protective tendency for depressive symptoms. Male gender was a significant predictor of a lower risk for anxiety (OR=0.31; p<0.001). Conclusion: Anxiety and depressive symptoms have variable prevalence among university students. Although PA did not show a significant association, a protective tendency was observed for moderate and vigorous PA, especially for depressive symptoms. The gender factor was consistent, reinforcing the importance of differentiated and multidimensional approaches.