Sedentary behavior is associated with the mental health of university students during the Covid-19 pandemic, and not practicing physical activity accentuates its adverse effects: cross-sectional study.

Publication date: Jul 11, 2024

Movement behaviours, such as sedentary behavior (SB) and physical inactivity, have become a public health issue due to their implications for physical and mental health. The literature indicates that the university environment influences the movement behaviors of university students, and the strategies adopted during the pandemic may have favored a decrease in the practice of physical activity and an increase in the time dedicated to SB in this population. We aimed to evaluate the association of SB and moderate to vigorous leisure-time physical activity (MVPA) with presence of symptoms of mental disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a multicenter survey conducted with undergraduate students from eight Brazilian universities between October 2021 and February 2022 using an online questionnaire. The outcome variable was symptoms of anxiety and depression, assessed by the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21. SB was assessed by total sitting time, being that individuals with ≥ 9 h/day were classified with high SB. The practice of MVPA was evaluated based on weekly frequency, duration, and type of exercise. Subsequently, the ratio between the time spent in MVPA (minutes/day) and the time spent in SB (hours/day) was calculated, being considered as cutoff point was the practice of 2. 5 min of MVPA for each sedentary hour. To assess the association between the outcome and explanatory variables, multivariable logistic regression was performed. A total of 8,650 students participated in the study, with an average age of 23. 9 years (SD: +/- 6. 34). In the multivariate analysis, the odds of anxiety symptoms [OR: 1. 37 (95% CI: 1. 24-1. 50)] and depression [OR: 1. 61 (95% CI: 1. 47-1. 77)] were higher in individuals with ≥ 9 h of SB per day. In the analysis of the relationship between MVPA and SB, not engaging in 2. 5 min of MVPA per hour of SB increases the odds of anxiety symptoms [OR: 1. 44 (95% CI: 1. 31-1. 58)] and depression [OR: 1. 74 (95% CI: 1. 59-1. 92)]. The results suggest that SB is a risk factor associated with symptoms of anxiety and depression and that not engaging in MVPA exacerbates the negative effects of SB.

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Concepts	Keywords
Brazilian	Anxiety
Pandemic	COVID-19
Practicing	Depression
Universities	Physical inactivity
Weekly	Sedentary behavior
	Students

Semantics

Type	Source	Name
disease	MESH	Covid-19 pandemic
disease	VO	time
disease	VO	population
disease	MESH	mental disorders
disease	VO	frequency
disease	MESH	lifestyle
disease	VO	Gap
disease	VO	protocol
drug	DRUGBANK	Trestolone
disease	VO	report
disease	MESH	cardiovascular diseases
drug	DRUGBANK	Water
disease	VO	biological sex
disease	MESH	marital status
disease	MESH	Nutritional status
disease	MESH	underweight
disease	MESH	overweight
disease	MESH	causality
disease	VO	USA
drug	DRUGBANK	Methylergometrine
drug	DRUGBANK	Coenzyme M
drug	DRUGBANK	Hyaluronic acid
drug	DRUGBANK	L-Valine
disease	MESH	non communicable diseases
disease	MESH	loneliness
disease	MESH	obesity
disease	MESH	sleep disorders
drug	DRUGBANK	Tretamine
drug	DRUGBANK	Hydrocortisone
disease	VO	Hormone
drug	DRUGBANK	Cysteamine
disease	VO	effective
drug	DRUGBANK	Ademetionine
disease	IDO	intervention
drug	DRUGBANK	Elm
drug	DRUGBANK	Famciclovir
disease	MESH	anxiety disorder
disease	IDO	process
drug	DRUGBANK	(S)-Des-Me-Ampa
disease	MESH	posttraumatic stress disorder
disease	VO	organization
disease	MESH	psychological distress
disease	MESH	suicide
disease	IDO	country
drug	DRUGBANK	Methionine
drug	DRUGBANK	Isoxaflutole
disease	VO	organ
disease	VO	effectiveness
disease	MESH	chronic conditions
disease	VO	age

Original Article

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