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Yearlong Physical Activity and Depressive Symptoms in Older Japanese Adults: Cross-Sectional Data from the Nakanojo Study

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Objective

The objective of this study was to investigate associations between accelerometer measurements of physical activity and psychosocial variables in older people.

Methods

Subjects were 184 Japanese aged 65–85 years. An accelerometer provided step count and physical activity intensity data throughout each 24-hour period for 1 year. At the end of the year, anxiety, depression, and cognitive function were assessed.

Results

Controlling for age, the daily number of steps, and the daily duration of moderate-intensity physical activity showed significant negative correlations with depressive mood.

Conclusion

A depressive mood is associated with the quantity and quality of habitual physical activity.

Section snippets

METHODS

The subjects were 83 male and 101 female volunteers aged 65–85 years. All resided in Nakanojo Town, Gunma Prefecture, a rural area of Japan. The subjects gave their written informed consent to participate in this institutionally approved study. On the basis of their annual medical examination, all subjects were judged free of chronic conditions that might limit their ability to engage in physical activity.

An electronic accelerometer with a storage capacity of 36 days (modified Kenz Lifecorder;

RESULTS

The year-averaged step count and the year-averaged duration of physical activity >3 METs (mean [standard deviation {SD}]) of our subjects were 6,635 (2750) steps/day and 17.7 (11.9) minutes/day, respectively. These two variables were significantly correlated with each other (r = 0.854, p <0.001, df = 183). Subjects taking <4,000 steps/day averaged <5 minutes/day at an intensity of >3 METs, whereas those taking >10,000 steps/day averaged >30 minutes/day at an intensity of >3 METs.

The mean (SD)

DISCUSSION

The present data show a trend toward an association between yearlong physical activity as measured by an accelerometer and a depressed mood state in older Japanese adults with relatively good psychosocial function. After controlling for the effects of age, both the daily step count and the daily duration of physical activity >3 METs had significant negative correlations with depression (HADS-D) scores. These findings seem in keeping with previous studies of subjects with clinically significant

References (10)

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The authors acknowledge the expert technical assistance of the research and nursing staffs of the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, The University of Tokyo, and the Nakanojo Public Health Center.

This study was supported in part by a grant (Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research [C]: 15500503) from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.

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