Abstract
ObjectivesTo investigate the independent and interactive associations of physical activity (PA) and screen time (ST) with depression, anxiety and sleep quality among Chinese college students.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted in Wuhan University, China from November to December 2011. The students reported their PA, ST and socio-economic characteristics using self-administered questionnaires. Sleep quality was measured by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Depression and anxiety were assessed using the Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS) and Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), respectively. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to estimate the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of the independent and interactive relationships of PA and ST with depression, anxiety and sleep quality.ResultsA total of 1106 freshmen (471 females and 635 males) aged 18.9±0.9 years were included in the study. After adjustment for potential confounders, high PA and low ST were independently associated with significantly lower risks for poor sleep quality (OR: 0.48, 95% CI: 0.30–0.78) and depression (OR: 0.67, 95%CI: 0.44–0.89), respectively. An interactive inverse association was observed for combined effects of PA and low ST on depression (OR: 0.62, 95%CI: 0.40–0.92) and sleep quality (OR: 0.51, 95%CI: 0.27–0.91). No statistically significant associations were found between PA, ST and anxiety among the participants.ConclusionsThese findings suggest an independent and interactive relationship of high PA and low ST with significantly reduced prevalence of depressive problems and favorable sleep quality among Chinese college freshmen.
Highlights
College students are special populations that are enduring a period of great challenges, risks and social developmental transition
Some studies have failed to find an association between physical activity (PA) and sleep quality [9,10], whereas being active showed no beneficial impacts on mental health [11]
Of a total of 1200 participants, 1106 (92.2%) who met the inclusion criteria were included in the final data-analysis
Summary
College students are special populations that are enduring a period of great challenges, risks and social developmental transition. A high prevalence of poor sleep quality was found in this population [3,4]. Insufficient sleep is associated with poor mental health, quality of life, and academic performance [5,6]. Promoting sleep quality and preventing mental disorders may have broad benefits in this population. There are abundant studies showing favorable effects of physical activity (PA) on mental health and sleep quality [7,8], the collective evidence continues to emerge and remains inconclusive. Some studies have failed to find an association between PA and sleep quality [9,10], whereas being active showed no beneficial impacts on mental health [11]. Inconsistent results might be caused by the heterogeneity of study samples, exposure and outcome assessment, and various confounders
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