Elsevier

Annals of Epidemiology

Volume 23, Issue 1, January 2013, Pages 25-30
Annals of Epidemiology

The association between past and current physical activity and depressive symptoms in young adults: a 10-year prospective study

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annepidem.2012.10.006Get rights and content

Abstract

Purpose

The objectives of this study were to assess (1) the longitudinal associations of past moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and involvement in team sports during secondary school with depressive symptoms in early adulthood, and (2) the cross-sectional associations of current MVPA and involvement in team sports with depressive symptoms during young adulthood.

Methods

Data were drawn from the Nicotine Dependence in Teens study, which is an ongoing prospective cohort study of 1293 adolescents aged 12–13 years at baseline (52% female). Data analyses involved latent growth curve modeling and multiple hierarchical linear regression models.

Results

Current MVPA (β = −0.12), but not past MVPA, participation was significantly negatively related to depressive symptoms during young adulthood (P < .05). Both current and past involvement in team sports were significantly negatively related to depressive symptoms (β ≥ −0.09; P < .05); however, these associations were no longer significant (P = .08) when covariates were controlled for.

Conclusions

Findings provide insight about the unique associations between the timing and type of physical activity and depressive symptoms, suggesting that physical activity within team sport contexts should be encouraged so that young adults may experience less depressive symptoms.

Section snippets

Methods

The Nicotine Dependence in Teens study is an ongoing prospective cohort study initiated in 1999 that investigates the natural course of early cigarette use and nicotine dependence in novice smokers. Details of the study design are presented elsewhere [37]. Briefly, 1293 students (52% girls) initially aged 12–13 years from all grade 7 classes in 10 secondary schools in Montreal, Quebec, were enrolled in the study. Schools were selected to represent a range of socioeconomic status (low, medium,

Results

A total of 860 participants provided data on physical activity from survey cycles 1 to 21 and on depressive symptoms at survey cycle 21. Of these, 44 self-reported a clinically diagnosed mood disorder by a physician currently and/or at some point during the course of the study. These participants were excluded from all analyses because the association between physical activity and depressive symptoms is attenuated for individuals with past experiences of MDD [24]. Although participants retained

Discussion

The unique associations of past and current physical activity with depression have received little empirical attention in young adults. Using data from a large population-based cohort study, the current results extend the literature on the cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between physical activity and depression by showing that current physical activity participation (i.e., both MVPA and involvement in team sports) and past involvement in team sports, but not past MVPA, were

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Canadian Cancer Society. J.B. was supported by postdoctoral fellowships provided by the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada and Psychosocial Oncology Research Training program while this study was conducted. C.M.S., T.A.B., and N.C.P.L. are Fonds de la Recherche en Santé du Québec new investigators. J.L.O. holds a Canada Research Chair in the Early Determinants of Adult Chronic Disease. The funding agencies did not participate in the study design, data

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