Epidemiological Study of Physical Activity, Negative Moods, and Their Correlations among College Students

Bo Li, Wen-xia Tong, Meng Zhang, Guang-xu Wang, Yang-sheng Zhang, Shu-qiao Meng, Ya-xing Li, Zhong-lei Cui, Jun-yong Zhang, Yu-peng Ye and Shan-shan Han ()
Additional contact information
Bo Li: Physical Education College, Shangqiu University, Shangqiu 476000, China
Wen-xia Tong: Physical Education College, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225127, China
Meng Zhang: No. 2 Experimental Primary School in Haidian, Beijing 100085, China
Guang-xu Wang: College of Physical Education, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang 453007, China
Yang-sheng Zhang: School of Physical Education, Nanjing Xiaozhuang University, Nanjing 210000, China
Shu-qiao Meng: Physical Education College, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225127, China
Ya-xing Li: Physical Education College, Shangqiu University, Shangqiu 476000, China
Zhong-lei Cui: Physical Education College, Shangqiu Normal University, Shangqiu 476000, China
Jun-yong Zhang: School of Physical Education, Henan University of Economics and Law, Zhengzhou 450046, China
Yu-peng Ye: School of Physical Education, Jing-Gang-Shan University, Ji’an 343009, China
Shan-shan Han: Institute of Sports Science, Nantong University, Nantong 226019, China

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 18, 1-12

Abstract: Objective: Negative moods in college students have caused frequent extreme behaviors. This study analyzed the current status and correlation between physical activity and negative moods in college students. Methods: A cross-sectional study design was used in the present research. Data on college students’ physical activity and negative moods were collected using the Sports Questionnaire Star software. The questionnaires were administered to college students in five colleges and universities in Henan and Jiangsu Provinces, China, and a total of 3711 correctly completed questionnaires were returned. Data on sociological and demographic information, the International Physical Activity Questionnaire Short Form (IPAQ-SF), and the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS) were collected. The research was conducted in December 2021. Results: The low-intensity physical activity rate among college students was 55.56%, while depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms were detected in 35.14%, 65.29%, and 10.99%of the college students, respectively. Depression (K = 35.58, p < 0.001) and anxiety (K = 15.56, p < 0.001) rates were significantly different among the different physical activity intensity groups. The proportion of students who perform high-intensity physical activities was lower than those who perform low- and moderate-intensity physical activities. Conclusion: Low physical activity and high anxiety are evident among college students, and prolonged moderate-to-low-intensity physical activity (including static behavior) induces depression and anxiety. In the future, further studies can be conducted on improving the physical activity intensity of college students, improving the mental health monitoring and intervention systems of college students, and exploring the dose–effect relationship between physical activity and negative moods.

Keywords: college students; physical activity; negative moods; mental health; health promotion; epidemiological investigation; static behavior (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/18/11748/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/18/11748/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:18:p:11748-:d:917657

Access Statistics for this article

IJERPH is currently edited by Ms. Jenna Liu

More articles in IJERPH from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().