ArticleBMC public health2024
The effect of replacing sedentary behavior with different intensities of physical activity on depression and anxiety in Chinese university students: an isotemporal substitution model.
Article in BMC public health, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Sedentary behavior and physical activity are associated with risk of depression among adult and older populations: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Pooled it
- Association of reallocating time between physical activity and sedentary behavior on the risk of depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Pooled it
- Associations Between 24-Hour Physical Behavior, Self-Perceived Stress, and Coping Self-Efficacy in Everyday Life: Ambulatory Assessment Study.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2026Article
- Association Between Visceral Adipose Tissue and Depression Risk With Both Observational and Genetic Evidence.Brain and behavior · 2026Article
- Self-Perceived Quality of Life and Physical Activity Levels Through Accelerometry in Young People with Intellectual Disabilities.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Accelerometer-measured physical activity, sedentary behavior, and incident neuropsychiatric diseases: a large prospective cohort study of 73411 participants.Molecular psychiatry · 2026Article
- Article
- Co-occurrence of health risk behaviors and depression in the Brazilian population: analysis of a population-based survey (Vigitel, 2023).Revista brasileira de epidemiologia = Brazilian journal of epidemiology · 2026Article
- Isotemporal substitution of sedentary time with physical activity for cardiovascular health in older adults: a systematic review.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2026Review
- Physical Activity, Sedentary Behaviour and Mental Health in University Students: A Compositional Isotemporal Substitution Analysis.Depression and anxiety · 2026Article
- Negative emotional symptoms and e-Health literacy among Chinese college students: a latent profile analysis.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Unveiling the sedentary epidemic through insights from college students in Guangdong.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Article
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundPrevious research has suggested that engaging in regular physical activity (PA) can help to reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety in university students. However, there is a lack of evidence regarding the impact of reducing sedentary behavior (SB) and increasing light-intensity PA (LPA) on these symptoms. This study aims to address this gap by using isotemporal substitution (IS) models to explore how substituting SB with LPA or moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) affects depression and anxiety symptoms among university students.
methodsThe study recruited 318 university students with a mean age of 21.13 years. Accelerometers were used to objectively measure the time spent on SB, LPA, and MVPA, while depression and anxiety symptoms were assessed using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) and the Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS). IS models using multivariable linear regression were employed to estimate the associations between different behaviors and depression and anxiety symptoms when 30 min of one behavior was substituted with another.
resultsIn the single-activity model, less SB (β = 0.321, 95% CI: 0.089, 1.297) and more MVPA (β = -0.142, 95% CI: -1.496, - 0.071) were found to be significantly and negatively associated with depression scores, while less SB (β = 0.343, 95% CI: 0.057, 1.014), LPA (β = 0.132, 95% CI: 0.049, 1.023), and more MVPA (β = -0.077, 95% CI: -1.446, - 0.052) were significantly and negatively correlated with anxiety scores. The IS analysis revealed that substituting 30 min of SB with LPA (β = -0.202, 95% CI: -1.371, - 0.146) or MVPA (β = -0.308, 95% CI: -0.970, - 0.073) was associated with improvements in depressive symptoms. Substituting 30 min of SB with MVPA (β = -0.147, 95% CI: -1.863, - 0.034) was associated with reduced anxiety symptoms.
conclusionReplacing 30 min of SB with MVPA may alleviate depression and anxiety symptoms in university students. Further research is needed to explore the long-term effects of PA interventions on the mental health disorders of this population.
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