Physical Activity Mode and Mental Distress in Adulthood

Introduction Nearly one fifth of American adults suffer from mental health issues, yet many treatments have side effects and stigma attached. Physical activity can be an effective treatment for mental health disorders, but most promotion efforts fail. One understudied aspect of physical activity is...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:American journal of preventive medicine 2017-01, Vol.52 (1), p.85-93
Main Authors: Sciamanna, Christopher N., MD, Smyth, Joshua M., PhD, Doerksen, Shawna E., PhD, Richard, Barrett R., BS, Kraschnewski, Jennifer L., MD, MPH, Mowen, Andrew J., PhD, Hickerson, Benjamin D., PhD, Rovniak, Liza S., PhD, MPH, Lehman, Erik B., MS, Yang, Chengwu, MD, PhD
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Adults
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System
Cross-Sectional Studies
Emotional disorders
Exercise
Female
Health education
Health status
Humans
Internal Medicine
Male
Mental disorders
Mental health
Mental health promotion
Mental health services
Middle Aged
Obesity
Physical activity
Psychological distress
Quality of life
Risk behavior
Risk factors
Side effects
Sports
Sports - statistics & numerical data
Stigma
Stress, Psychological - epidemiology
Surveillance
Surveillance systems
Teams
Tennis
Treatment methods
United States - epidemiology
Walking
Young Adult
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Summary:Introduction Nearly one fifth of American adults suffer from mental health issues, yet many treatments have side effects and stigma attached. Physical activity can be an effective treatment for mental health disorders, but most promotion efforts fail. One understudied aspect of physical activity is the specific mode, including if it engages others, and how this may relate to mental health. This study examined the potential relationship between different modes of physical activity and the frequency of mental distress. Methods Data from the 2000 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System were analyzed in 2015 to determine the relationship between participation in different modes of physical activity and frequent mental distress. Results Data were obtained on physical activity and frequent mental distress from 183,341 adults (aged 18–99 years, 51.9% female, 57.4% overweight/obese, 9.5% frequent mental distress). Prevalence of mental distress for those reporting activities was contrasted against walking alone. People who participated in tennis had 46% lower odds (95% CI=0.35, 0.84) of frequent mental distress. Approaching significance, non-team play sports were associated with 18% lower odds (95% CI=0.66, 1.01) of frequent mental distress, compared with walking alone. Conclusions Activity modes are associated with mental health outcomes above and beyond the frequency and duration of activity. Given the social and play nature of the activities, this may reflect the relational aspect, enjoyment, or a combination of both. These results suggest that adding social or affective components to physical activity may enhance engagement and retention in activity promotion efforts and their benefits on mental health.
ISSN:0749-3797
1873-2607
DOI:10.1016/j.amepre.2016.09.014