Physical activity, sedentary behaviour and symptoms of anxiety in post-secondary students: A cross-sectional study of two faculties

Abstract

Post-secondary students frequently experience symptoms of anxiety during the academic year. It is hypothesized that low levels of physical activity, and high levels of sedentary behaviour may be associated with symptoms of anxiety. We conducted a cross-sectional study to determine the prevalence of physical activity and sedentary behaviour and moderate to severe symptoms of anxiety; and the association between physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and symptoms of anxiety in students enrolled in two Faculties at Ontario Tech University in the fall of 2017. We recruited participants in-class and through two waves of emails sent from instructors and Deans of each Faculty. We used the Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour Questionnaire to measure physical activity and sedentary behaviour and the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales 21-item to measure symptoms of anxiety. We computed the associations by multivariable logistic regression to control for covariates. The association between physical activity, sedentary behaviour and moderate to extremely severe symptoms of anxiety was quantified using multivariable logistic regression. Prevalence of meeting physical activity guidelines ranged from 30 to 50% depending on Faculty. High levels of sedentary behaviour were found in 50–70% of students depending on Faculty. We found that aerobic physical activity was associated with symptoms of anxiety in the Faculty of Education but not in the Faculty of Health Sciences. We found that muscular strengthening was associated with symptoms of anxiety in the Faculty of Health Sciences but not in the Faculty of Education. We found no associations between sedentary behaviour and symptoms of anxiety in either Faculty. • The Associations Between Physical Activity, Sedentary Behaviour and Symptoms of Anxiety in Post-Secondary Students – Highlights. • Anxiety is endemic among post-secondary students, parallel to a rise in sedentary behaviour and decline in physical activity. • Physical activity was found to be associated with symptoms of anxiety in post-secondary students, although this association varied by student Faculty. • No associations were found between sedentary behaviour and symptoms of anxiety among post-secondary students.