Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress 2023 EHA Congress 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

At a glance: The ONWARDS insulin icodec trials

A round-up of the ONWARDS phase 3 clinical trials evaluating the novel weekly insulin icodec in people with diabetes.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology
Published in: Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology 3/2015

01-03-2015 | Original Paper

Gender-specific associations between leisure-time physical activity and symptoms of anxiety: the HUNT study

Authors: Audun Brunes, Sigridur Lara Gudmundsdottir, Liv Berit Augestad

Published in: Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology | Issue 3/2015

Login to get access

Abstract

Purpose

The underlying goal of the study was to examine gender-specific effects of leisure-time physical activity on the development of symptoms of anxiety.

Methods

The second wave of a prospective cohort survey (HUNT 2) was conducted during 1995–1997 in the county of Nord-Trøndelag, Norway, with a follow-up in 2006–2008 (HUNT 3). The sample consisted of 12,796 women and 11,195 men with an age range of 19–85 years. A binomial model with a log-link function and generalized linear model analysis with gamma distribution was used to assess the association between physical activity and anxiety symptoms (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale anxiety subscale, HADS-A).

Results

A total of 1,211 (9.5 %) women and 650 (5.8 %) men developed HADS-defined anxiety (≥8 on the HADS-A scale). Men who scored in the middle tertile of the calculated physical activity index developed significantly fewer cases of HADS-defined anxiety compared with men in the lowest tertile (p < 0.05). In the gamma regression analysis for women, having higher scores on the moderate-high physical activity was associated with fewer symptoms of anxiety (p < 0.01).

Conclusions

Women developed almost twice as many cases of HADS-defined anxiety compared to men. Significant associations were found between general leisure-time physical activity and anxiety symptoms among women and men, but the true effect is likely to be different from the observed associations due to several threats to the internal validity in the study.
Literature
1.
Alonso J, Angermeyer MC, Bernert S et al (2004) Prevalence of mental disorders in Europe: results from the European Study of the Epidemiology of Mental Disorders (ESEMeD) project. Acta Psychiatr Scand 109(240):21–27
2.
Kessler RC, Chiu WT, Demler O, Merkingas KR, Walters EE (2005) Prevalence, severity, and comorbidity of 12-Month DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Arch Gen Psychiatry 62(6):617–627PubMedCentralPubMedCrossRef
3.
4.
Biddle SJH, Mutrie N (2008) Psychology of physical activity: determinants, well-being and interventions, 2nd edn. Routledge, New York
5.
Gustavsson A, Svensson M, Jacobi F et al (2011) Cost of disorders of the brain in Europe 2010. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol 21(10):718–779PubMedCrossRef
6.
7.
Jacobi F, Wittchen HU, Hôllting C (2004) Prevalence, co-morbidity and correlates of mental disorders in the general population: results from the German Health Interview and Examination Survey (GHS). Psychol Med 34(4):597–611PubMedCrossRef
8.
Bienvenu OJ, Gould NF, Mason ST, Fauerbach JA (2009) Anxiety disorders prevention: overview and focus on post-traumatic stress disorder. Minerva Psichiatr 50(3):265–275
9.
McLean CP, Asnaani A, Litz BT, Hofmann SG (2011) Gender differences in anxiety disorders: prevalence, course of illness, comorbidity and burden of illness. J Psychiatr Res 45(8):1027–1035PubMedCentralPubMedCrossRef
10.
Bekker MH, van Mens-Verhulst J (2007) Anxiety disorders: sex differences in prevalence, degree, and background, but gender-neutral treatment. Gend Med 4:178–193CrossRef
11.
Martinsen EW (2008) Physical activity in the prevention and treatment of anxiety and depression. Nord J Psychiatry 62(47):25–29PubMedCrossRef
12.
McDonald DG, Hodgdon JA (1991) The psychological effects of aerobic fitness training research and theory. Springer, New YorkCrossRef
13.
Petruzzello SJ, Landers DM, Hatfield BD, Kubitz KA, Salazar W (1991) A meta-analysis on the anxiety-reducing effects of acute and chronic exercise: outcomes and mechanisms. J Sports Med 11(3):143–182CrossRef
14.
Byrne A, Byrne D (1993) The effect of exercise on depression, anxiety and other mood states: a review. J Psychosom Res 37(6):565–574PubMedCrossRef
15.
Long BC, Vanstavel R (1995) Effects of exercise training on anxiety: a meta-analysis. J Appl Sport Psychol 7(2):167–189CrossRef
16.
Wipfli BM, Rethorst CD, Landers DM (2008) The anxiolytic effects of exercise: a meta-analysis of randomized trials and dose-response analysis. J Sport Exerc Psychol 30:392–410PubMed
17.
Asmundson GJG, Fetzner MG, DeBoer LB, Powers MB, Otto MW, Smits JAJ (2013) Let’s get physical: a contemporary review of the anxiolytic effects of exercise for anxiety and its disorders. Depress Anxiety 30(4):362–373PubMedCrossRef
18.
Jayakody K, Gunadasa S, Hosker C (2014) Exercise for anxiety disorders: systematic review. Br J Sports Med 48:187–196PubMedCrossRef
19.
Stephens T (1988) Physical activity and mental health in the United States and Canada: evidence from four population surveys. J Prev Med 17(1):35–47CrossRef
20.
Goodwin RD (2003) Association between physical activity and mental disorders among adults in the United States. Prev Med 36(6):698–703PubMedCrossRef
21.
Thorsen L, Nystad W, Stigum H, Dahl O, Klepp O, Bremnes RM, Wist E, Fosså SD (2005) The association between self-reported physical activity and prevalence of depression and anxiety disorder in long-term survivors of testicular cancer and men in a general population sample. Support Care Cancer 13(8):637–646PubMedCrossRef
22.
Brunes A, Augestad LB, Gudmundsdottir SL (2013) Personality, physical activity, and symptoms of anxiety and depression: the HUNT study. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 48:745–756PubMedCrossRef
23.
de Moor MHM, Beem AL, Stubbe JH, Boomsma DI, de Geus EJC (2006) Regular exercise, anxiety, depression and personality: a population-based study. Prev Med 42(4):273–279PubMedCrossRef
24.
Mutrie N, Hannah MK (2007) The importance of both setting and intensity of physical activity in relation to non-clinical anxiety and depression. Int J Health Promot Educ 45(1):24–32CrossRef
25.
Harvey SB, Hotopf M, Overland S, Mykletun A (2010) Physical activity and common mental disorders. Br J Psychiatry 197(5):357–364PubMedCrossRef
26.
Jonsdottir IH, Rödjer L, Hadzibajramovic E, Börjesson M, Ahlborg GA Jr (2010) Prospective study of leisure-time physical activity and mental health in Swedish health care workers and social insurance officers. Prev Med 51(5):373–377PubMedCrossRef
27.
Azevedo Da Silva M, Singh-Manoux A, Brunner E, Kaffashian S, Shipley M, Kivimäki M, Nabi H (2012) Bidirectional association between physical activity and symptoms of anxiety and depression: the Whitehall II study. Eur J Epidemiol 27(7):537–546PubMedCentralPubMedCrossRef
28.
ten Have M, de Graaf R, Monshouwer K (2011) Physical exercise in adults and mental health status: findings from the Netherlands Mental Health Survey and Incidence Study (NEMESIS). J Psychosom Res 71(5):342–348PubMedCrossRef
29.
de Moor MHM, Beem AL, Stubbe JH, Boomsma DI, de Geus EJC (2008) Testing causality in the association between regular exercise and symptoms of anxiety and depression. Arch Gen Psychiatry 65(8):897–905PubMedCrossRef
30.
Holmen J, Midthjell K, Krüger Ø (2003) The Nord-Trøndelag Health Study 1995-97 (HUNT2): objectives, contents, methods and participation. Norsk Epidemiologi 13:19–32
31.
Kurtze N, Rangul V, Hustvedt B, Flanders DW (2007) Reliability and validity of self-reported physical activity in the Nord-Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT 2). Eur J Epidemiol 22(6):379–387PubMedCrossRef
32.
Augestad LB, Schei B, Forsmo S, Langhammer A, Flanders WD (2004) The association between physical activity and forearm bone mineral density in healthy premenopausal women. J Women’s Health 13:301–313CrossRef
33.
Gudmundsdottir SL, Flanders WD, Augestad LB (2011) Physical activity and age at menopause: the Nord-Trøndelag population-based health study. Climacteric 16(1):78–87CrossRef
34.
Zigmond AS, Snaith RP (1983) The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Acta Psychiatr Scand 67(6):361–370PubMedCrossRef
35.
Herrmann C (1997) International experiences with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale: a review of validation data and clinical results. J Psychosom Res 42(1):17–41PubMedCrossRef
36.
Bjelland I, Dahl AA, Haug TT, Neckelmann D (2002) The validity of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale: an updated literature review. J Psychosom Res 52:69–77PubMedCrossRef
37.
Whitelaw S, Teuton J, Swift J, Scobie G (2010) The physical activity—mental wellbeing association in young people: a case study in dealing with a complex public health topic using a ‘realistic evaluation’ framework. Mental Health Phys Activity 3(2):61–66CrossRef
38.
Salmon P (2001) Effects of physical exercise on anxiety, depression, and sensitivity to stress: a unifying theory. Clin Psychol Rev 21(1):33–61PubMedCrossRef
39.
Lox CL, Kathleen AM, Petruzzello SJ (2010) The psychology of exercise: integrating theory and practice, 3rd edn. Holcomb Hathaway Publishers, Scottsdale
40.
Petruzzello SJ, Landers DM, Hatfield BD, Kubitz KA, Salazar W (1991) A meta-analysis on the anxiety-reducing effects of acute and chronic exercise. Sports Med 11(3):143–182PubMedCrossRef
41.
Martinsen EW, Moser T, Borge L, Moe T, Johannesen B, Kaggestad J (2004) Kropp og sinn: fysisk aktivitet og psykisk helse (Body and mind: physical activity and psychological health). Fagbokforlaget, Bergen
42.
Bandura A (1977) Self-efficacy: toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychol Rev 84(2):191–215PubMedCrossRef
43.
Dishman RK, Renner KJ, Youngstedt SD, Reigle TG, Bunnell BN, Burke KA, Yoo HS, Mougey EH, Meyerhoff JL (1997) Activity wheel running reduces escape latency and alters brain monoamine levels after footshock. Brain Res Bull 42:399–406PubMedCrossRef
44.
Moylan S, Eyre HA, Maes M, Baune BT, Jacka FN, Berk M (2013) Exercising the worry away: how inflammation, oxidative and nitrogen stress mediates the beneficial effect of physical activity on anxiety disorder symptoms and behaviours. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 37(4):573–584PubMedCrossRef
45.
Wittchen HU, Jacobi F (2005) Size and burden of mental disorders in Europe—a critical review and appraisal of 27 studies. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol 15(4):357–376PubMedCrossRef
46.
McLean CP, Anderson ER (2009) Brave men and timid women? A review of the gender differences in fear and anxiety. Clin Psychol Rev 29(6):496–505PubMedCrossRef
47.
Feingold A (1994) Gender differences in personality: a meta-analysis. Psychol Bull 116(3):429–456PubMedCrossRef
48.
Altemus M (2006) Sex differences in depression and anxiety disorders: potential biological determinants. Horm Behav 50(4):534–538PubMedCrossRef
49.
Asztalos M, Wijndaele K, De Bourdeaudhuij I, Philippaerts R, Matton L, Duvigneaud N, Thomis M, Lefevre J, Cardon G (2012) Sport participation and stress among women and men. Psychol Sport Exerc 13(4):466–483CrossRef
50.
Tudor K (2013) Mental health promotion: paradigms and practice. Routledge, New York
51.
Vanhees L, Lefevre J, Philippaerts R (2005) How to assess physical fitness? Eur J Cardiovasc Prev Rehabil 12:102–114PubMedCrossRef
52.
Rothman KJ, Greenland S, Lash TL (eds) (2008) Modern epidemiology, 3rd edn. Wolters Kluwer Health, Philadelphia
Metadata
Title
Gender-specific associations between leisure-time physical activity and symptoms of anxiety: the HUNT study
Authors
Audun Brunes
Sigridur Lara Gudmundsdottir
Liv Berit Augestad
Publication date
01-03-2015
Publisher
Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Published in
Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology / Issue 3/2015
Print ISSN: 0933-7954
Electronic ISSN: 1433-9285
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-014-0915-z

Other articles of this Issue 3/2015

Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology 3/2015 Go to the issue

Commentary (Invited)

Mental health screenings for couples at churches in Nigeria: a strategy for enhancing community-based maternal mental health services in low-resource settings

Original Paper

Morbidity profile of first-degree relatives of probands with schizophrenia: a comparison with mood disorder and healthy control

Original Paper

How does family intervention improve the outcome of people with schizophrenia?

Erratum

Erratum to: Feelings of loneliness among adults with mental disorder

Letter to the Editor

DSM-5 schizoaffective disorder: will clinical utility be enhanced?

Original Paper

Caregiver distress in first-episode psychosis: the role of subjective appraisal, over-involvement and symptomatology