ArticleBMC psychiatry2026
Perceived health exposure to mega sporting event and depressive symptoms in older adults: the mediating roles of physical activity and loneliness.
Article in BMC psychiatry, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
11 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundMega sporting events are increasingly discussed for their potential public health legacy, yet evidence on their mental health relevance among older adults and the underlying pathways remains limited. This study examined the association between perceived health-related exposure to a mega sporting event and depressive symptoms in community-dwelling older adults, focusing on the roles of physical activity and loneliness.
methodsThis cross-sectional survey was conducted between October and November 2025 in 10 community health service centers in Luohu District, Shenzhen, China. A total of 961 adults aged 60 years and older were included. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the 5-item Geriatric Depression Scale. Perceived event-related health exposure was assessed using a context-specific five-item indicator reflecting event-related health information exposure. Physical activity was measured using the Physical Activity Rating Scale–3 and loneliness using the 3-item UCLA Loneliness Scale. Multivariable regression and serial mediation analysis with 5,000 bootstrap resamples were performed, adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics, self-rated health, and chronic disease status.
resultsAmong the 961 participants, 258 individuals (26.85%) met the criteria for depressive symptoms. Higher perceived event-related health exposure was associated with lower depressive symptom scores (B = − 0.045). Indirect effects were observed via physical activity (B = − 0.021) and loneliness (B = − 0.006), as well as via a sequential pathway linking higher perceived exposure to higher physical activity, lower loneliness, and lower depressive symptoms (B = − 0.004). Overall, indirect effects accounted for 68.9% of the total effect. Findings were consistent in sensitivity analyses using binary depressive symptoms.
conclusionsHigher perceived event-related health exposure was associated with fewer depressive symptoms among older adults, with physical activity and loneliness indicating behavioral and psychosocial pathways. These findings may inform consideration of physical activity promotion and social connectedness in planning the public health implications of large-scale sporting events for aging populations. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: Not applicable.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.