Cross sectional associations of physical activity and sleep with mental health among Chinese university students
Abstract Objective This study aimed to examine the levels of physical activity (PA), sleep, and mental health (MH), specifically depression, anxiety, and stress, among Chinese university students. It also aimed to analyze the influencing factors of MH, providing a theoretical foundation for developi...
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Nature Portfolio
2024-12-01
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-80034-9 |
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| author | Bo Li Shan-shan Han Yu-peng Ye Ya-xing Li Shu-qiao Meng Shuo Feng Han Li Zhong-lei Cui Yang-Sheng Zhang Yao Zhang Qing Zhang Guang-xu Wang Hu Lou Weidong Zhu Yang Liu |
| author_facet | Bo Li Shan-shan Han Yu-peng Ye Ya-xing Li Shu-qiao Meng Shuo Feng Han Li Zhong-lei Cui Yang-Sheng Zhang Yao Zhang Qing Zhang Guang-xu Wang Hu Lou Weidong Zhu Yang Liu |
| author_sort | Bo Li |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Objective This study aimed to examine the levels of physical activity (PA), sleep, and mental health (MH), specifically depression, anxiety, and stress, among Chinese university students. It also aimed to analyze the influencing factors of MH, providing a theoretical foundation for developing intervention programs to improve college students’ mental health. Methods A stratified, clustered, and phased sampling method was employed. In September 2022, a survey was conducted among 36,756 university students from 104 higher education institutions across 31 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities in China. The participants’ PA behaviors, sleep patterns, depressive symptoms (use the CES-D), anxiety symptoms (use the GAD-7), smoking and drinking behaviors, and demographic information were assessed through an online questionnaire using Questionnaire Star software. Results A total of 30,475 valid questionnaires were completed. The proportion of university students engaging in light-intensity PA was 77.6%. The prevalence of insufficient sleep was 39.5%, whereas the prevalence of poor sleep quality was 16.7%. The prevalence of depressive symptoms was 10%, and the prevalence of anxiety symptoms was 23.3%. Binary logistic regression analysis revealed that engaging in moderate to high-intensity PA and having sufficient and high-quality sleep were associated with a lower likelihood of depressive symptoms (OR = 0.207–0.800, P < 0.01), whereas appropriate sleep duration and higher sleep quality were associated with a lower likelihood of anxiety symptoms (OR = 0.134–0.827, P < 0.001). Conclusion The intensity of PA among university students is predominantly light, and the reported rate of insufficient sleep is relatively high. Moderate to high-intensity PA and sufficient high-quality sleep may alleviate MH issues among college students, with an interaction effect observed among PA, sleep, and depression symptoms. Future studies should further explore targeted interventions combining PA and sleep behaviors to enhance the MH of university students. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-48ee8dc77ceb4347aac50fc4ba03b0b02025-08-20T02:46:16ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222024-12-0114111310.1038/s41598-024-80034-9Cross sectional associations of physical activity and sleep with mental health among Chinese university studentsBo Li0Shan-shan Han1Yu-peng Ye2Ya-xing Li3Shu-qiao Meng4Shuo Feng5Han Li6Zhong-lei Cui7Yang-Sheng Zhang8Yao Zhang9Qing Zhang10Guang-xu Wang11Hu Lou12Weidong Zhu13Yang Liu14Institute of Sports Science, Nantong UniversityInstitute of Sports Science, Nantong UniversitySchool of physical education, Jing-gang-shan UniversityPhysical Education College, Shangqiu UniversityDepartment of Physical Education, Xidian UniversityCollege of Physical Education, Xinyang Normal UniversityDepartment of Physical Education, Ordos Institute of Applied TechnologyPhysical Education College of Shangqiu Normal UniversitySchool of Physical Education, Nanjing Xiaozhuang UniversityInstitute of Sports and Health, Zhengzhou Shengda UniversityDepartment of Physical Education, Yangling Vocational and Technical CollegeCollege of Physical Education, Henan Normal UniversityInstitute of Sports Science, Nantong UniversityInstitute of Sports Science, Nantong UniversitySchool of Physical Education, Shanghai University of SportAbstract Objective This study aimed to examine the levels of physical activity (PA), sleep, and mental health (MH), specifically depression, anxiety, and stress, among Chinese university students. It also aimed to analyze the influencing factors of MH, providing a theoretical foundation for developing intervention programs to improve college students’ mental health. Methods A stratified, clustered, and phased sampling method was employed. In September 2022, a survey was conducted among 36,756 university students from 104 higher education institutions across 31 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities in China. The participants’ PA behaviors, sleep patterns, depressive symptoms (use the CES-D), anxiety symptoms (use the GAD-7), smoking and drinking behaviors, and demographic information were assessed through an online questionnaire using Questionnaire Star software. Results A total of 30,475 valid questionnaires were completed. The proportion of university students engaging in light-intensity PA was 77.6%. The prevalence of insufficient sleep was 39.5%, whereas the prevalence of poor sleep quality was 16.7%. The prevalence of depressive symptoms was 10%, and the prevalence of anxiety symptoms was 23.3%. Binary logistic regression analysis revealed that engaging in moderate to high-intensity PA and having sufficient and high-quality sleep were associated with a lower likelihood of depressive symptoms (OR = 0.207–0.800, P < 0.01), whereas appropriate sleep duration and higher sleep quality were associated with a lower likelihood of anxiety symptoms (OR = 0.134–0.827, P < 0.001). Conclusion The intensity of PA among university students is predominantly light, and the reported rate of insufficient sleep is relatively high. Moderate to high-intensity PA and sufficient high-quality sleep may alleviate MH issues among college students, with an interaction effect observed among PA, sleep, and depression symptoms. Future studies should further explore targeted interventions combining PA and sleep behaviors to enhance the MH of university students.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-80034-9University studentPhysical activity (PA)SleepMental health (MH)DepressionAnxiety |
| spellingShingle | Bo Li Shan-shan Han Yu-peng Ye Ya-xing Li Shu-qiao Meng Shuo Feng Han Li Zhong-lei Cui Yang-Sheng Zhang Yao Zhang Qing Zhang Guang-xu Wang Hu Lou Weidong Zhu Yang Liu Cross sectional associations of physical activity and sleep with mental health among Chinese university students Scientific Reports University student Physical activity (PA) Sleep Mental health (MH) Depression Anxiety |
| title | Cross sectional associations of physical activity and sleep with mental health among Chinese university students |
| title_full | Cross sectional associations of physical activity and sleep with mental health among Chinese university students |
| title_fullStr | Cross sectional associations of physical activity and sleep with mental health among Chinese university students |
| title_full_unstemmed | Cross sectional associations of physical activity and sleep with mental health among Chinese university students |
| title_short | Cross sectional associations of physical activity and sleep with mental health among Chinese university students |
| title_sort | cross sectional associations of physical activity and sleep with mental health among chinese university students |
| topic | University student Physical activity (PA) Sleep Mental health (MH) Depression Anxiety |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-80034-9 |
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