Dose-response association between weekly volume of leisure-time physical exercise and the prevalence of depression: an analysis of VIGITEL microdata (2021-2024)

Abstract

Introduction: Despite consistent evidence regarding the association between physical exercise and better mental health indicators, gaps remain concerning the magnitude and consistency of this association in Brazilian population-based samples. Methodology: This was a cross-sectional study including adults aged ≥ 18 years (n = 48,041). The outcome was the self-reported diagnosis of depression, while the exposure, the weekly volume of leisure-time physical activity, was dichotomized into "active" (≥ 150 minutes/week) and "sedentary" (< 150), with additional exploratory cutoffs for active individuals (≥ 300; ≥ 420 minutes/week). Results: Among those with < 150 min/week, the prevalence was 13.47%, compared to 9.93% among physically active individuals (≥ 150 min/week), corresponding to a prevalence ratio (PR) of 1.36 (95% CI: 1.28–1.43; p < 0.001). Considering the cutoff of 300 min/week, the prevalence was 12.80% among individuals with < 300 min/week and 8.81% among those with ≥ 300 min/week (PR = 1.45; 95% CI: 1.35–1.56; p < 0.001). Adopting the cutoff of ≥ 420 minutes for active individuals, it was observed that the < 150 min group presented a 67% higher prevalence of depression (PR = 1.67; 95% CI: 1.48–1.89; p < 0.001), the 150–299 min group presented a 34% higher prevalence (PR = 1.34; 95% CI: 1.18–1.54; p < 0.001), and the 300–419 min stratum presented a 15% higher prevalence, without statistical significance (PR = 1.15; 95% CI: 0.99–1.33; p = 0.070), compared to the reference category. Additionally, the linear trend test confirmed the dose-response association (PR = 0.83 per category; 95% CI: 0.82–0.85; p < 0.001). Conclusion: The practice of leisure-time physical exercise was associated, in higher weekly volumes, with lower prevalences of self-reported depression.