PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS: THE NHANES I EPIDEMIOLOGIC FOLLOW-UP STUDY

Abstract

Farmer, M. E. (National Institute of Mental Health, Rockville, MD 20857), B. 2 Locke, E. K. Moscicki, A. L. Dannenberg, D. B. Larson, and L. S. Radloff. Physic: activity and depressive symptoms: the NHANES I Epidemiologic Follow-up Stud] Am J Epidemiol 1988; 128:1340–51. The relation between self-reported physical activity and depressive symptom was analyzed for 1,900 healthy subjects aged 25–77 years in the Epidemiologi Follow-up Study (1982–1984) to the first National Health and Nutrition Examinatio Survey (NHANES I). Depressive symptomatology as measured by the Center fc Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) was examined by sex and rac in relation to recreational physical activity and physical activity apart from recre ation, controlling for age, education, income, employment status, and chroni conditions. Little or no recreational physical activity and little or no physic: activity apart from recreation were cross-sectionally associated with depressiv symptoms in whites and in blacks. After exclusion of those with depressiv symptoms at baseline, recreational physical activity was an independent predictc of depressive symptoms an average of eight years later in white women. Th adjusted odds of depressive symptoms at follow-up were approximately 2 fc women with little or no recreational physical activity compared with women wit much or moderate recreational physical activity (95% confidence interval 1.1 3.2). These findings are the first indication from a prospective study of a larg community sample that physical inactivity may be a risk factor for depressiv symptoms.