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Combined Effects of Physical Inactivity and Sedentary Behaviour on Psychological Distress Among University-Based Young Adults: a One-Year Prospective Study

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Abstract

Insufficient physical activity (PA) and prolonged sedentary behaviour (SB) may have deleterious psychological health consequences. Using one-year prospective data, this study examined the combined effects of PA and SB on psychological distress among university-based young adults in Dhaka, Bangladesh. During Wave 1 (September–December 2015), total 573 undergraduate students (mean age: 20.7 ± 1.35 years; 45% females) completed a self-administered survey on PA, SB, psychological distress, health and lifestyle factors and sociodemographics. During Wave 2 (October–November 2016), 395 students (retention rate = 69%) completed a sub-set of Wave 2 survey with items on PA, SB and psychological distress. PA and SB were assessed using the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire and distress with the Kessler 6 Psychological Distress scale. Generalized Estimating Equations with Gaussian family and identity link under exchangeable correlation structure was used to examine the relationships. Multivariable modeling showed that participants with insufficient PA (<150 min/week) and high SB (≥480 min/day) or insufficient PA + low SB had more distress [ß: 3.07 (95% CI: 2.12–4.01) and 2.77 (1.86–3.67), respectively] than those who had sufficient PA + low SB, after controlling for gender, sleep difficulties, perceived health, fast food and fresh fruit intake. There was no statistically significant difference for the level of distress between other PA and SB groups. In this one-year prospective study, irrespective of SB, insufficient PA was associated with high psychological distress in university-based young adults in Bangladesh. The protective role of PA should be considered in intervention programs to improve psychological health of young adults.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship, Australian Postgraduate Awards and International Post Graduate Research Scholarship awarded to RU. The authors would like to thank the participating students and the class lecturers who helped access the students at their classroom. The authors also would like to acknowledge the support of the authorities of the participating institutions for allowing their students to participate in the survey. The second author (NWB) was with The University of Queensland School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences when the study was conceived, designed and data were collected.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, The University of Queensland, Building #84A (Therapies Annex), Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia

    Riaz Uddin & Asaduzzaman Khan

  2. School of Applied Psychology, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia

    Nicola W. Burton

  3. School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia

    Nicola W. Burton

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  1. Riaz Uddin
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Correspondence to Riaz Uddin.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. The University of Queensland Behavioural and Social Sciences Ethical Review Committee, Australia provided ethical approval for the study (Ref: 2015000860; Amendment- 31/07/2015; Amendment 29/09/2016). Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Uddin, R., Burton, N.W. & Khan, A. Combined Effects of Physical Inactivity and Sedentary Behaviour on Psychological Distress Among University-Based Young Adults: a One-Year Prospective Study. Psychiatr Q 91, 191–202 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11126-019-09697-2

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