Citation

Yoshida Y, Iwasa H, Kumagai S, Suzuki T, Awata S, Yoshida H. Psychiatry Clin. Neurosci. 2015; 69(11): 686-692.

Affiliation

Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Tokyo, Japan.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2015, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/pcn.12324

PMID

26037604

Abstract

AIM: Prevention of depressive symptoms is a very essential issue with regard to the promotion of healthy lifestyles in older people. To date, few studies have examined the relationship between fluctuations in physical activity and depression among older individuals. We thus conducted a longitudinal survey of older adults to examine the effect of long-term fluctuating physical activity on the incidence of depressive symptoms.

METHODS: A 3-year prospective cohort study was performed in a community-based environment. A total of 680 (291 men and 389 women) individuals aged 65 years and over at the baseline assessment participated. The 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) was used to assess depressive symptoms, with scores of ≥6 indicative of depression. Participants were categorized into the following four groups based on change in physical activity status between 2002 and 2003: sedentary, cessation, initiation, and maintenance.

RESULTS: The incidence of depressive symptoms was 16.9% (16.8% in men and 17.0% in women) at 3-year follow up (in 2006). Multiple logistic regression analyses showed that physical activity maintenance [odds ratio (OR) = 0.50, 95% Confidence Interval (CI):0.30-0.83] only reduced the incidence of depressive symptoms at 3-year follow up after adjusting for confounding variables.

CONCLUSIONS: Continuous physical activity may be a valuable and simple way to prevent depressive symptoms in community-dwelling older people. Therefore, it is necessary to implement interventions that teach older adults how to integrate physical activity into their daily lives.

Language: en