Gender-specific associations between leisure-time physical activity and symptoms of anxiety: the HUNT study
- PMID: 24970575
- DOI: 10.1007/s00127-014-0915-z
Gender-specific associations between leisure-time physical activity and symptoms of anxiety: the HUNT study
Abstract
Purpose: The underlying goal of the study was to examine gender-specific effects of leisure-time physical activity on the development of symptoms of anxiety.
Methods: The second wave of a prospective cohort survey (HUNT 2) was conducted during 1995-1997 in the county of Nord-Trøndelag, Norway, with a follow-up in 2006-2008 (HUNT 3). The sample consisted of 12,796 women and 11,195 men with an age range of 19-85 years. A binomial model with a log-link function and generalized linear model analysis with gamma distribution was used to assess the association between physical activity and anxiety symptoms (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale anxiety subscale, HADS-A).
Results: A total of 1,211 (9.5 %) women and 650 (5.8 %) men developed HADS-defined anxiety (≥8 on the HADS-A scale). Men who scored in the middle tertile of the calculated physical activity index developed significantly fewer cases of HADS-defined anxiety compared with men in the lowest tertile (p < 0.05). In the gamma regression analysis for women, having higher scores on the moderate-high physical activity was associated with fewer symptoms of anxiety (p < 0.01).
Conclusions: Women developed almost twice as many cases of HADS-defined anxiety compared to men. Significant associations were found between general leisure-time physical activity and anxiety symptoms among women and men, but the true effect is likely to be different from the observed associations due to several threats to the internal validity in the study.
Similar articles
-
Assessment of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) performance for the diagnosis of anxiety in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.Rheumatol Int. 2017 Dec;37(12):1999-2004. doi: 10.1007/s00296-017-3819-x. Epub 2017 Sep 22. Rheumatol Int. 2017. PMID: 28940018 Review.
-
Associations of Leisure-Time and Occupational Physical Activity and Cardiorespiratory Fitness With Incident and Recurrent Major Depressive Disorder, Depressive Symptoms, and Incident Anxiety in a General Population.J Clin Psychiatry. 2017 Jan;78(1):e41-e47. doi: 10.4088/JCP.15m10474. J Clin Psychiatry. 2017. PMID: 28129498
-
Personality, physical activity, and symptoms of anxiety and depression: the HUNT study.Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2013 May;48(5):745-56. doi: 10.1007/s00127-012-0594-6. Epub 2012 Oct 2. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2013. PMID: 23052425
-
Physical activity and depressive symptoms among Norwegian adults aged 20-50.Public Health Nurs. 2008 Nov-Dec;25(6):536-45. doi: 10.1111/j.1525-1446.2008.00740.x. Public Health Nurs. 2008. PMID: 18950418
-
Depression and anxiety in relation to catechol-O-methyltransferase Val158Met genotype in the general population: the Nord-Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT).BMC Psychiatry. 2008 Jun 25;8:48. doi: 10.1186/1471-244X-8-48. BMC Psychiatry. 2008. PMID: 18578865 Free PMC article.
Cited by
-
Generalized anxiety disorder during COVID-19 in Canada: Gender-specific association of COVID-19 misinformation exposure, precarious employment, and health behavior change.J Affect Disord. 2022 Apr 1;302:280-292. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2022.01.100. Epub 2022 Jan 29. J Affect Disord. 2022. PMID: 35093413 Free PMC article.
-
Physical Activity Is Associated With Lower Long-Term Incidence of Anxiety in a Population-Based, Large-Scale Study.Front Psychiatry. 2021 Sep 10;12:714014. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.714014. eCollection 2021. Front Psychiatry. 2021. PMID: 34566716 Free PMC article.
-
Change in Physical Activity During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Lockdown in Norway: The Buffering Effect of Resilience on Mental Health.Front Psychol. 2020 Dec 15;11:598481. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.598481. eCollection 2020. Front Psychol. 2020. PMID: 33384645 Free PMC article.
-
The Impact of COVID-19 on Women's Physical Activity Behavior and Mental Well-Being.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 Dec 4;17(23):9036. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17239036. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020. PMID: 33291530 Free PMC article.
-
An Exercise Prescription for COVID-19 Pandemic.Pak J Med Sci. 2020 Nov-Dec;36(7):1732-1736. doi: 10.12669/pjms.36.7.2929. Pak J Med Sci. 2020. PMID: 33235606 Free PMC article.
References
MeSH terms
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Other Literature Sources
Medical