Adherence to aerobic and muscle-strengthening exercise guidelines and associations with psychological distress : a cross-sectional study of 14,050 English adults

Katrien De Cocker, Megan Teychenne, Rhiannon L. White, Jason A. Bennie

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Physical activity (PA) is beneficial for the prevention and management of psychological distress. However, no studies have investigated which combination/s of PA prescribed in the current global guidelines (i.e. aerobic moderate-to-vigorous PA [MVPA] and muscle-strengthening exercise [MSE]) are most strongly linked to reduced psychological distress. This study aimed to examine how PA guidelines adherence is associated with psychological distress. Using cross-sectional data of adults (n = 14,050) who participated in the 2012–2016 Health Survey for England, four categories of self-reported PA guidelines adherence were created: meeting none, only MSE, only aerobic MVPA, meeting both (exposure variables). Psychological distress (outcome) was measured using the General Health Questionnaire-12. The likelihood of experiencing high levels of psychological distress (cut-point of ≥4) across guidelines adherence categories was examined using logistic regression models adjusted for sociodemographic and lifestyle factors. About 17% of adults experienced high levels of psychological distress; 37.5% did not adhere to any PA guidelines (category 1), 1.3% met only MSE (category 2), 35.5% met only aerobic MVPA (category 3), and 25.7% met both guidelines (category 4). Compared to category 1, the likelihood of experiencing high psychological distress was lowest in category 4 (OR = 0.65, 95% CI: 0.54–0.77) followed by category 3 (OR = 0.78, 95% CI: 0.67–0.90), while it did not differ in category 2 (OR = 1.24, 95% CI: 0.75–2.05). This is the first study to identify the association between PA guidelines adherence and psychological distress in a large population sample. Findings suggest that meeting both aerobic MVPA and MSE guidelines might be most beneficial for mental health.
Original languageEnglish
Article number106192
Number of pages7
JournalPreventive Medicine
Volume139
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2020

Keywords

  • exercise
  • isometric exercise
  • mental health
  • sedentary behavior
  • stress (psychology)

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