The longitudinal effect of leisure time physical activity on reduced depressive symptoms: The ARIRANG Study

Background: Depression is a serious mental condition and physical activity is known to be effective in alleviating it. This study for rural residents of South Korea investigated whether meeting the recommended amount of physical activity during leisure time (LTPA) can reduce the depressive symptoms. Methods: A prospective study was conducted with 5,178 participants aged 20 years and over, and we analyzed 1,888 participants excluding those diagnosed with depression at baseline and those with insufficient data after an average of 5.3 years of follow-up. LTPA was quantified by the MET (metabolic equivalent of task) and categorized according to whether the recommended physical activity was met (0, 0.1 to < 7.5, ≥ 7.5 MET h/wk). The relationship with depressive symptoms (CES-D ≥ 41) was generated by adjusted relative risks (RRs) and 95% CIs through multivariate logistic regression. Results: During the followed-up, 100 (5.3%) participants developed depressive symptoms. Compared to the incidence of depressive symptoms in those who did not perform any LTPA (6.8%), it was significantly lower when the recommended physical activity criteria were met by combining moderate intensity (MET 3 to 6) and vigorous intensity (MET ≥ 6) exercise (3.3%). We observed a 43.7% lower risk of depressive symptoms among those performing more than the recommended minimum (RR, 0.563 [95% CI, 0.341–0.930]) than those who had no LTPA. Limitations: This study did not address psychosocial factors, and physical activities in daily life and the occupational environment were not considered. Conclusions: Performing adequate LTPA might be advisable to alleviate depressive symptoms.