•  
  •  
 

DEPRESSION AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY STATUS OF COLLEGE STUDENTS

Abstract

Michelle M. Miller, Evan C. Fike, Ed Cunliff, Jacilyn Olson & Melissa Powers

University of Central Oklahoma, Edmond, Oklahoma

Physical activity has been known to have a positive effect on the overall quality of life of an individual. PURPOSE: The purpose of this project was to determine if students who report a diagnosis of depression meet the physical activity guidelines at a different rate than students who are not diagnosed with depression. Literature suggests people who meet the physical activity guidelines may be less likely to have been diagnosed with depression. A secondary purpose was to examine trends over time among students enrolled at a metropolitan university. METHODS: Data were collected from the American College of Health Association’s - National College of Health Assessment’s survey distributed in the spring of 2012 (n = 598) and 2014 (n = 639) at a single university. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics and cross tabulations. RESULTS: The overall percentage of students who met the physical activity guidelines increased from 2012 to 2014 by 2.5%. The survey distributed in 2012 showed that among students who were not diagnosed with depression, 49.6% (n= 242) did meet the physical activity guidelines. For those who were diagnosed with depression, 38.2% (n=42) did meet the physical activity guidelines. Results from the survey distributed in 2014 showed that among the students who were not diagnosed with depression, 51.8% (n=276) did meet the physical activity guidelines. For those who were diagnosed with depression, 35.8% (n=38) did meet the physical activity guidelines. CONCLUSION: Students diagnosed with depression were less likely to meet physical activity guidelines than students without diagnosed depression in both 2012 and 2014. While the physical activity rates increased from 2012 to 2014, this increase was only seen among students not diagnosed with depression. In fact, there is a trend toward a decline in physical activity among students diagnosed with depression. These findings and literature on the benefits of physical activity for people with depression highlight the need for targeted physical activity interventions among college students diagnosed with depression.

This document is currently not available here.

Share

COinS