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Citation |
Gutierrez M, Palacios C, Narayanan V, George F, Sales Martinez S. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2024; 21(7). |
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Copyright |
(Copyright © 2024, MDPI: Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute) |
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DOI |
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PMID |
39063494 |
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PMCID |
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Abstract |
Physical activity is a modifiable lifestyle behavior known for reducing symptoms of and being a risk factor for depression and mental health disorders. However, emerging adults (ages 18-25) struggle to meet recommended amounts. In this study, we explore the association between physical activity, depressive symptoms, and health factors in 137 Hispanic emerging adults. Using a cross-sectional survey design, sociodemographic information, depressive symptoms (CES-D score), physical activity (IPAQ score), body composition, and blood pressure measures were obtained. Statistical analyses included correlation and regression analyses. More than half of the participants demonstrated depressive symptomology (59.1%) and body fat percentage greater than 25% (64.2%). Body fat percentage, lean body mass, stress, and heart rate demonstrated notable associations with depressive symptoms and physical activity. When measured continuously and categorically, IPAQ was not a significant predictor of depressive symptoms. When used as a binary variable with a cutoff of 600 MET min/week, IPAQ score revealed a negative relationship with CES-D score (β = -0.169, SE = 2.748, p = 0.034). Our results indicate that a threshold of physical activity, 600 MET min/week, may confer protective effects against depressive symptoms. Future research should investigate the context and quality of physical activity to address mental health disparities in this underrepresented population. Language: en |
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Keywords |
Humans; Cross-Sectional Studies; Adult; Female; Male; Adolescent; Young Adult; depression; stress; Exercise; physical activity; emerging adults; *Depression/epidemiology; *Hispanic or Latino/psychology/statistics & numerical data; Blood Pressure; body composition; Body Composition; modifiable lifestyle factors |