#0044 The association of leisure time physical activity and walking during commuting to work with depressive symptoms among Japanese workers: A cross-sectional study
Depressive Symptoms Among Working-Age Adults: Can Physical Activity Help?
Depressive disorders among working-age adults is a major health concern for organizations worldwide. It is also the leading cause of long-term sick leave and presenteeism, increasing workplace costs significantly. Thus, it is crucial to understand how organizations can implement interventions to help improve the mental health of their workforce.
Previous studies have shown that increasing physical activity during leisure time can be beneficial for both physical and mental health. However, in the working population, finding the time for leisure-time physical activity is often a challenge. In such cases, walking while commuting to work can be a solution.
To understand this further, we conducted a cross-sectional study on 2024 Japanese workers from two different manufacturing companies. We aimed to find out whether an increase in leisure-time physical activity and walking to work can help to improve depressive symptoms among working adults. We analyzed these two factors through a questionnaire that was answered by the participants. Further, we analyzed the depressive symptoms of the participants using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale.
Our findings showed that an increase in leisure-time physical activity had a direct effect on lowering depressive symptoms. This effect was more pronounced among workers with low work-related physical activity. However, walking to work did not have the same impact on reducing depressive symptoms.
To conclude, our study can help to implement effective workplace interventions to improve employee health and productivity. While leisure-time activity was directly associated with fewer depressive symptoms, walking to work may have a beneficial effect on workers with low work-related physical activity, which needs to be confirmed through larger studies in the future.
Link to the original journal article:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/1348-9585.12120
Title of the paper:
The association of leisure time physical activity and walking during commuting to work with depressive symptoms among Japanese workers: A cross-sectional study
Authors:
Kota Fukai, Keisuke Kuwahara, Sanmei Chen, Masafumi Eguchi, Takeshi Kochi, Isamu Kabe, Tetsuya Mizoue
