Prospective COVID-19 related changes in physical activity and sedentary time and associations with symptoms of depression and anxiety

Abstract Problem The COVID-19 pandemic is associated with psychological distress. Decreased moderate-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and increased sedentary time may be exacerbating pandemic-related symptoms of anxiety and depression, but existing studies exploring these associations are almost entirely cross-sectional. Methods Reported data from 2018 and Summer 2020 were used to create change categories based on compliance with MVPA guidelines and relative sedentary time. Participants completed the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4) in Summer 2020. Associations among changes in MVPA and sedentary time (separately and jointly) with psychological distress (total PHQ-4 score) were examined with ordinal logistic regression and associations with depressive or anxiety symptoms were examined with logistic regression. Results Among 2,240 participants (65% women, mean age 57.5 years), 67% increased sedentary time and 21% became inactive between the two time points. After multivariate adjustment, participants who became (OR = 1.71, 95% CI: 1.05–2.78) or remained inactive (OR = 2.07, 1.34–3.22) were more likely to experience depressive symptoms compared to those who remained active. Participants who increased sedentary time were also more likely to experience depressive symptoms compared to those who maintained sedentary time (OR = 1.78, 1.13–2.81). Jointly, those who increased sedentary time while remaining (OR = 3.67, 1.83–7.38) or becoming inactive (OR = 3.02, 1.44–6.34) were much more likely to have depressive symptoms compared to the joint referent (remained active/maintained sedentary time). Associations with anxiety symptoms were not statistically significant. Conclusions These findings support the value of promoting MVPA and limiting sedentary time during stressful events associated with psychological distress, like the COVID-19 pandemic.