Vigorous Physical Activity and Depressive Symptoms in College Students

Background: The purpose of this study was to examine whether college students meeting the vigorous physical activity (VPA) recommendation reported less frequent symptoms of depression than those not meeting the recommendation. Methods: A secondary analysis of the Utah Higher Education Health Behavior Survey was conducted. Descriptive statistics and unconditional logistic regressions were calculated. Results: The final sample included 8621 participants (age = 21.34 +/- 2.6 years). There was a difference in the frequency of depressive symptoms and VPA. Those not meeting the VPA recommendation reported having more frequent depressive symptoms than those meeting the VPA recommendation. Results were consistent by gender. Conclusion: In this sample, our data suggest VPA may be associated with a reduction in depressive symptoms. These findings might be indicative of a dose-response relationship between VPA and symptoms of depression in college students.