Depression Linked to Reduced Physical Activity During Pandemic

Research from the US found that the risk of depression in university students increased two folds after the pandemic due to changes in lifestyle habits.

Silvia Saccardo led the research team. The team analyzed data obtained from 682 college students with a smartphone app and a Fitbit wearable tracker from spring 2019 - 2020, spanning the onset of social isolation during the early months of the pandemic.

Findings showed that 61% of university students were at risk of clinical depression. The results also showed large disruptions in physical activity, sleep and computer/phone screen time, and social interaction, along with large declines in well-being.

The study highlights that disruptions to physical activity emerged as a leading risk factor for depression during the pandemic. Students who followed exercise habits were at a significantly lower risk for depression than those with large declines in physical activity.

Even though physical activity resumed in early summer, mental well-being did not reboot automatically.

Saccardo said, "We used this unique dataset to study what factors are predictive of changes in depression.” She points out that mental health got worse as the semester progressed, but it worsened in 2020 compared to the previous cohort.

Participants with healthy habits, like scheduled physical activity and active social life, before the pandemic, were at a higher risk for depression as the pandemic continued.

A decline in physical activity was highlighted as the leading risk factor for diminished mental health. Nevertheless, restoration of physical activity did not help with mental well-being.

"We randomized a group of individuals to receive an incentive to exercise. While our short intervention increased physical activity among this group, it did not impact mental health. These results open up a lot of opportunities for future research," said Saccardo.

Osea Giuntella, co-author, adds that the results are generalizable to the young adult population. He says that this group is highly exposed, exhibiting a rise in depression rates over the last decades.

Source-Medindia