Abstract
BackgroundDepression and anxiety are common mental disorders that increase physical health risks and are leading causes of global disability. Several forms of physical fitness could be modifiable risk factors for common mental disorders in the population. We examined associations between individual and combined markers of cardiorespiratory fitness and grip strength with the incidence of common mental disorders.MethodsA 7-year prospective cohort study in 152,978 UK Biobank participants. An exercise test and dynamometer were used to measure cardiorespiratory and grip strength, respectively. We used Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and Generalised Anxiety Disorder-7 scales to estimate the incidence of common mental disorders at follow-up.ResultsFully adjusted, longitudinal models indicated a dose-response relationship. Low and medium cardiorespiratory fitness was associated with 1.485 (95% CIs, 1.301 to 1.694, p < 0.001) and 1.141 (95% CIs, 1.005 to 1.297, p = 0.041) higher odds of depression or anxiety, compared to high cardiorespiratory fitness. Low and medium grip strength was associated with 1.381 (95% CIs, 1.315 to 1.452, p < 0.001) and 1.116 (95% CIs, 1.063 to 1.172, p < 0.001) higher odds of common mental disorder compared to high grip strength.Individuals in the lowest group for both cardiorespiratory fitness and grip strength had 1.981 (95% CIs, 1.553 to 2.527, p < 0.001) higher odds of depression, 1.599 (95% CIs, 1.148 to 2.118, p = 0.004) higher odds of anxiety, and 1.814 (95% CIs, 1.461 to 2.252, p < 0.001) higher odds of either common mental disorder, compared to high for both types of fitness.ConclusionsObjective cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness markers represent modifiable risk factors for common mental disorders. Public health strategies to reduce common mental disorders could include combinations of aerobic and resistance activities.
Highlights
Depression and anxiety are common mental disorders that increase physical health risks and are leading causes of global disability
According to the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and Generalised Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) scales, 9156 (5.99%) participants met the criteria for depression, 5282 (3.45%) for anxiety, and 11,295 (7.39) for either common mental disorder at the 7-year follow-up
Adjusted models indicate that low cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) was associated with a 1.596 and medium CRF was associated with a 1.154 increase in the odds of depression compared with the high CRF group
Summary
Depression and anxiety are common mental disorders that increase physical health risks and are leading causes of global disability. Common mental disorders are major contributors to the global health burden, with depression and anxiety disorders being the first and sixth leading causes of disability worldwide, respectively [1] They can substantially affect daily functioning and are associated with elevated physical health risks over time, including a higher incidence of cardiovascular disease and premature mortality [2,3,4]. Physical activity has a major influence on cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and muscular strength [18, 19], two related but distinct markers of physical fitness that are reliable indicators of overall health, disease risk, and mortality [20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27] Both are measurable in large groups through validated fitness tests that produce objective outputs, which may act as surrogate markers of habitual physical activity that are not reliant on self-report [18, 28]
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