Associations between 24 h Movement Behavior and Mental Health in Office Workers.

Lisa-Marie Larisch,Victoria Blom,Manisha Desai,Philip Von Rosen,Lena V Kallings,Maria Hagströmer

doi:10.3390/ijerph17176214

Abstract

The associations between 24 h movement behavior, i.e., the way people distribute their time in different movement-related behaviors, on mental health are not well understood. This study applied a compositional data analysis approach to explore cross-sectional associations between device-measured moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA), light intensity physical activity (LIPA), sedentary behavior (SED), self-reported time in bed and mental health outcomes, i.e., depression or anxiety symptoms, burnout, mental wellbeing and stress, in office workers. ActiGraph accelerometers were worn for 24 h for at least 4 days to assess MVPA, LIPA, and SED. Sleep diaries were used in addition to identify time in bed. Analytic sample sizes for the different outcomes ranged from N = 345–370 participants. In this population of office workers with high levels of MVPA, the entire movement behavior composition was not associated to any of the mental health outcomes, but MVPA relative to all other behaviors was positively associated with mental wellbeing. This confirms the importance of MVPA for health relative to other movement-related behaviors.

Highlights

Introduction84 million people—that is one in six people—across the countries in the European Union were estimated to have a mental health problem, based on a variety of data sources and estimates [1]
Mental ill health poses a heavy individual, social, and economic burden
Out of 662 participants considered for this study, 444 participants participated in accelerometer measurements

Summary

Introduction

84 million people—that is one in six people—across the countries in the European Union were estimated to have a mental health problem, based on a variety of data sources and estimates [1]. Reliability and comparability of data across countries is limited due to varying levels of stigma and awareness surrounding mental health problems as well as availability of mental health services [1]. In Sweden, for example, psychiatric diagnoses have been the most common reason for sickness absence since 2014 [2]. Stress-related and mood disorders account for 90% of all sickness absence cases due to psychiatric disorders [3]. Previous studies have shown that time spent in different movement-related behaviors, such as physical activity (PA) at different intensities, sedentary behavior (SED), and sleep affect mental health

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