Journal article
Meeting the WHO Physical Activity Guidelines is Associated With Lower Odds of Depression in Older Adults: Potential Psychosomatic Mechanisms
The American journal of geriatric psychiatry, Vol.32(9), pp.1105-1118
09/2024
PMID: 38641509
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Source: InCites
Abstract
Objectives
Limited data exist on the association between physical activity (PA) and depression in older adults from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). In this study, we examine the association between meeting the World Health Organization (WHO) PA guidelines and depression in adults aged ≥50 years in Ghana and investigate the psychosomatic factors explaining this association.
Methods
Cross-sectional data from the Aging, Health, Psychological Well-being, and Health-seeking Behavior Study in Ghana (2016–18) were analyzed. Depression was assessed with the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D-10). PA was assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire Short Form (IPAQ-SF). Multivariable logistic regression and Hayes PROCESS macro with bootstrapping mediation analyses were performed to evaluate the hypothesized associations.
Results
The study included 1201 individuals (mean [SD] age 66.1 [11.9] years; 63.3% women). The prevalence of meeting PA guidelines and depression was 36.7% and 29.5%, respectively. Meeting the WHO-recommended PA guidelines was associated with a 16% lower rate of developing depression even after adjusting for potential confounders (OR = 0.84, p <0.001). This association was much stronger among men and those aged 50–64 years. Loneliness, social isolation, sleep problems, functional limitations, and pain characteristics largely mediated the association of PA with depression.
Conclusions
PA was negatively associated with depression among older adults in Ghana, and psychosocial and physical factors partially explained the association. The promotion of PA in old age may aid in the prevention of depression, especially in men and those aged 50–64 years. Longitudinal data may confirm our findings.
Details
- Title
- Meeting the WHO Physical Activity Guidelines is Associated With Lower Odds of Depression in Older Adults: Potential Psychosomatic Mechanisms
- Creators
- Razak M Gyasi - Southern Cross UniversityNicholas Quansah - Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and TechnologyPaul Antwi Boateng - Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and TechnologyEric Akomeah - Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and TechnologyAbdul-Fatawu Yakubu - Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and TechnologyPatience Aku Ahiabli - Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and TechnologyEmelia Aikins - Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and TechnologyObed Jones Owusu-Sarpong - Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and TechnologyYunus Dumbe - Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and TechnologyMichael Nimoh - Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and TechnologyDavid R Phillips - Lingnan UniversityAndré Hajek - University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf
- Publication Details
- The American journal of geriatric psychiatry, Vol.32(9), pp.1105-1118
- Publisher
- Elsevier Inc.
- Number of pages
- 14
- Grant note
- Lingnan University, Hong Kong: RPG1129310
This work was supported by the Research Grant Coun-cil and Lingnan University, Hong Kong (grant number RPG1129310) . The funders had no role in study design, data collection, and analysis, decision to publish, or prepa-ration of the manuscript. The authors declare no con fl ict of interest.
- Identifiers
- 991013181792402368
- Copyright
- © 2024 American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
- Academic Unit
- National Centre for Naturopathic Medicine
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article