Increased Risks of Mental Disorders: Youth with Inactive Physical Activity.

Ángel Denche-Zamorano,Damián Pereira-Payo,Eugenio Merellano-Navarro,José Carmelo Adsuar,Raquel Pastor-Cisneros,María Mendoza-Muñoz,Juan Manuel Franco-García,Jorge Carlos-Vivas

doi:10.3390/healthcare10020237

Ángel Denche-Zamorano, Damián Pereira-Payo + Show 6 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare10020237

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Abstract

Before COVID-19, one of the most dangerous pandemics of the 21st century was physical inactivity (PI). Sedentary habits had increased in the last decades, reducing physical condition and increasing non-communicable diseases and mental disorders in the population. This study aimed to analyse the relationships between physical activity level (PAL) and the prevalence of anxiety, depression, and other mental disorders in Spanish young aged 15–35 years and to calculate the odd ratio (OR) of developing from these mental disorders in inactive young people, based on PAL. Methods: A cross-sectional study based on data from the Spanish National Health Survey 2017 with 4195 participants was conducted. A descriptive analysis was performed. Possible differences between groups were analysed using the non-parametric statistical tests. OR and relative risks for mental disorders in inactive versus others PAL were calculated. Results: Dependence relationships were found between PAL and the prevalence of anxiety, depression, and other mental disorders (p < 0.001). In addition, the risk of developing: anxiety (OR: 6.14. 95% CI: 3.28–11.50), depression (OR: 5.35. 95% CI: 2.40–11.96), and other mental disorders (OR: 8.52. 95% CI: 2.90–25.06) was higher in inactive young people. Conclusions: PI is associated to high risk of mental disorders in Spanish young people.

Highlights

Before COVID-19, physical inactivity was considered one of the most dangerous pandemics of the 21st century [1,2]
This study aimed (1) to analyse the relationships between the level of physical activity and the prevalence of chronic anxiety, depression, and other mental disorders in Spanish young people aged 15–35 years and (2) to calculate the risk probability of developing these mental disorders in inactive young people based on their level of physical activity
We found statistically significant higher other mental disorders (OR) and relative risks (RR) between Inactives vs. Walkers in chronic anxiety

Summary

Introduction

Before COVID-19, physical inactivity was considered one of the most dangerous pandemics of the 21st century [1,2]. In the pre-pandemic period, sedentary behaviours were increasing in prevalence, becoming part of people’s lifestyle in modern societies. The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 and all the measures taken by governments and agencies to counteract its spread have meant that sedentary habits and physical inactivity have increased even more in the last two years, reaching between 70–80% of physical inactivity prevalence in some countries, such as Iran or Brazil [4,5]. The emergence of new technologies, such as the use of mobile devices, greater accessibility to internet connections, new equipment, increased screen time, less active journeys, more sedentary jobs, city lifestyles, lack of time, economic and employment insecurity, lack of access to infrastructure, and a long etcetera, are some of the causes of the growth in physical inactivity and some of the barriers identified for the lack of physical activity in the population [6,7]. The emergence of new technologies, such as the use of mobile devices, greater accessibility to internet connections, new equipment, increased screen time, less active journeys, more sedentary jobs, city lifestyles, lack of time, economic and employment insecurity, lack of access to infrastructure, and a long etcetera, are some of the causes of the growth in physical inactivity and some of the barriers identified for the lack of physical activity in the population [6,7]. 4.0/).

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