The associations between physical activity and antepartum and postpartum depression

Background: Depression is a disease of great public health concern as it is responsible for a significant amount of disability and morbidity, and millions of Americans are depressed in any given year. Antepartum and postpartum depression confer health risks for the mother and her family. Research has indicated that physically active individuals may be less likely to experience depression, however, few studies have used pregnancy and postpartum samples. Methods: Data from the third and postpartum phases of the Pregnancy, Infection, and Nutrition (PIN) Study were used to determine the association between moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and depressive symptoms among pregnant and postpartum women. The PIN3 Study was a prospective cohort of 2006 pregnant women in North Carolina enrolled between January 2001 and June 2005. The PIN Postpartum Study followed a subset of the PIN3 women with in-home visits at 3 and 12 months postpartum. Physical activity recall was assessed by telephone at 17-22 and 27-30 weeks' gestation of pregnancy and at 3 months postpartum. Self-reported depressive symptoms were assessed by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale at <20 and 24-29 weeks' gestation, while postpartum depressive symptoms were assessed using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale at both home visits. Results: Active women with <=2.67 hours/week of total MVPA at 17-22 weeks' gestation had almost half the odds of having high depressive symptoms at 24-29 weeks' gestation as compared to women with no MVPA. However, total MVPA at 3 months postpartum was associated with a doubling of the odds of elevated depressive symptoms at 12 months postpartum. Adult and child care and indoor household MVPA were associated with increased odds of elevated depressive symptoms in both pregnancy and postpartum. No benefit from recreational activity on depressive symptoms was found at any time point. No significant associations were found between MVPA and depressive symptoms when examining the association between MVPA during pregnancy and 3-month depressive symptoms. Conclusion: Associations between physical activity and depressive symptoms differ by domain of MVPA. Future studies with higher statistical power should explore potential differences by domain of physical activity

Racial Differences in Social Support and Coping Among Family Caregivers of Patients with Prostate Cancer

More than 60 million Americans are informal caregivers to adults, which can negatively affect their health. Data from 126 White and 62 African American female caregivers in North Carolina were analyzed to describe social support and coping among family caregivers of patients with prostate cancer and to assess for racial differences. Social support amount and some coping methods differed by race. There was no racial difference in social support satisfaction. Borderline significant difference in social support by health status was found and this differed by race. These racial differences should be explored further to better understand the availability of caregiving resources and their health effects

Physical activity and depressive symptoms among pregnant women: the PIN3 study

Prenatal depression confers health risks for both mother and family. Physical activity may promote better mental health; however, few studies have examined the influence of physical activity on prenatal depression. Data from 1,220 women enrolled in the third Pregnancy, Infection, and Nutrition Study (2001-2005) were used to examine the associations between overall and domain-specific moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and depressive symptoms during pregnancy. Self-reported, past week physical activity assessed at 17-22 weeks' gestation was modeled in logistic regression with self-reported depressive symptoms assessed by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale at 24-29 weeks' gestation. Active women with ≤2.67 h/week of total MVPA had almost half the odds of having high depressive symptoms as compared to women with no MVPA (odds ratio [OR] = 0.56, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.38, 0.83). Increased odds of elevated depressive symptoms were found for women participating in some but ≤2.25 h/week of adult and child care MVPA (OR = 1.84; 95% CI = 1.08, 3.11) and >1 h of indoor household MVPA (OR = 1.63, 95% CI = 0.99, 2.70) when compared to women with no MVPA. While overall MVPA may play a role in reducing the odds of developing elevated depressive symptoms, adult and child care and indoor household activities may increase it

Physical activity during pregnancy and postpartum depressive symptoms

to examine the associations between total and domain-specific moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) during pregnancy and postpartum depressive symptoms

Associations of Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviors with Dietary Behaviors among US High School Students

Background. Physical activity (PA), sedentary behaviors, and dietary behaviors are each associated with overweight and obesity among youth. However, the associations of PA and sedentary behaviors with dietary behaviors are complex and not well understood. Purpose. To describe the associations of PA and sedentary behaviors with dietary behaviors among a representative sample of US high school students. Methods. We analyzed data from the 2010 National Youth Physical Activity and Nutrition Study (NYPANS). Using logistic regression models which controlled for sex, race/ethnicity, grade, body weight status, and weight management goals, we compared dietary behaviors among students who did and did not meet national recommendations for PA and sedentary behaviors. Results. Students who participated in recommended levels of daily PA (DPA) and muscle strengthening PA (MSPA) were more likely than those who did not to eat fruits and vegetables. Students who exceeded recommended limits for television (TV) and computer/video game (C/VG) screen time were less likely than those who did not to consume fruits and vegetables and were more likely to consume fast food and sugar-sweetened beverages. Conclusions. Researchers may want to address PA, sedentary behaviors, and dietary behaviors jointly when developing health promotion and obesity prevention programs for youth

Obesity and Other Correlates of Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviors among US High School Students

Understanding correlates of physical activity (PA) can help inform and improve programs that promote PA among youth. We analyzed data from the 2010 National Youth Physical Activity and Nutrition Study, a representative sample of US students in grades 9–12. Logistic regression was used to examine associations between PA correlates (obesity, physical education classes, sports team participation, attitude toward PA, adult support for PA, and environmental support for PA) and participation in daily PA (DPA), vigorous PA (VPA), muscle-strengthening activity (MSA), viewing television (TV), and using computers or video games (C/VG). A positive attitude toward PA and adult support for PA were both associated with increased PA and decreased sedentary behavior. However, among students who lived in neighborhoods that were not safe for PA, a positive attitude toward PA was not associated with increased DPA or decreased sedentary behavior and was less strongly associated with VPA and MSA. Efforts to increase PA among youth should promote a positive attitude toward PA among youth and encourage adult family members to support their efforts to be active. Policies that promote safe neighborhoods may work synergistically with a positive attitude toward PA to increase participation in PA and decrease sedentary behaviors

Meeting fruit and vegetable consumption and physical activity recommendations among adolescents intending to lose weight

Two-thirds of adolescents who are overweight or have obesity report weight loss intentions. Most report using weight loss strategies consistent with expert recommendations for obesity prevention; however whether they meet recommended fruit and vegetable (F&V) intake and physical activity (PA) recommendations is unknown. We investigated whether weight loss attempts, and weight loss strategies were associated with meeting F&V and PA recommendations. Data were from the 2010 National Youth Physical Activity and Nutrition Study, which surveyed a cross-sectional, nationally representative sample of U.S. high school students. Analyses were restricted to overweight/obese students (n = 2841). Adjusted logistic regression models assessed the odds of meeting daily F&V and weekly PA recommendations after adjusting for grade, sex, race/ethnicity and perceived weight status. Compared to students who were overweight and were not currently intending to lose weight, students who were overweight and intending to lose weight were not more likely to meet F&V or PA. Among students with obesity, those who intended to lose weight were more likely than students who were not currently intending to lose weight to meet F&V recommendations (OR: 3.62, 95% CI: 1.70–7.73). Students who were overweight/obese and used F&V or PA for weight loss were significantly more likely to meet the corresponding recommendation than students intending to lose weight without specific strategies. Weight loss attempts alone do not affect the likelihood of meeting most expert recommendations. Public health efforts emphasizing recommended strategies for healthy eating and active living still need to be encouraged for overweight/obese youth. Keywords: Weight loss strategy, Adolescents, NYPANS, Cross-sectional, Weight loss attempt, Overweight, Obesity, Weight statu

Secular Changes in Physical Education Attendance Among U.S. High School Students, 1991–2015

Purpose: To examine changes in school-based physical education (PE) attendance over time among nationally representative samples of U.S. high school students and how changes in PE attendance vary across demographic subgroups. Method: Student demographic information and PE attendance data were obtained from 13 biennial cycles (1991–2015) of the national Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS). PE variables derived from YRBS data included PE attendance, daily PE, average PE days/week, and PE frequency. Logistic regression models examined trends in PE attendance, daily PE, and PE frequency for the overall sample and demographic subgroups. Linear regression models examined trends in average PE days/week in the overall sample only. Results: Overall, there was no significant change in the percentage of students reporting PE attendance during 1991–2015. However, daily PE and average PE days/week declined significantly from 1991–1995 (41.6% to 25.4% and 4.64 to 3.64 days, respectively), and then remained stable through 2015 (29.8% and 4.11 days, respectively). The percentage of students reporting a PE frequency of 3 days per week increased significantly from 1991–1995 (1.5% to 19.0%) before stabilizing through 2015 (9.1%). Trends across demographic subgroups revealed notable differences in PE attendance. Conclusions: Study findings show that U.S. schools have not substantially reduced PE amounts in recent years. Still, the prevalence of PE attendance among U.S. high school students is well below recommendations. In order for PE to contribute to increased adolescent compliance with national physical activity guidelines, significant policy actions are needed to improve PE access for all students

Associations Between Physical Activity and Postpartum Depressive Symptoms

Postpartum women are at increased risk for developing depression, which can contribute to the ill health of the mother and her family. Previous research indicates that mothers who are physically active during leisure experience lower levels of postpartum depressive symptoms than do inactive mothers. The objective of this investigation was to examine the associations between total and domain-specific moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and depressive symptoms postpartum