THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MENTAL HEALTH AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AMONG STUDENTS FROM A PRIVATE UNIVERSITY: A CROSS-SECTION STUDY.

Depression is being recognized worldwide as a serious public health problem. Health problems may affect a college student's quality. Project aims to analyze the effects of physical activity on anxiety and depression in university student.

Methods: This study employed cross-sectional, self-reported survey methodology. A sample of 2008 student completed a test that included social-demographic data, GAD-7, PHQ-9, IPAQ and EAT-26.GAD-7 was assessed using the anxiety questionnaire (range 0-21, with higher scores indicating more anxiety). PHQ-9 was assessed using the depression questionnaire (range 0-27, with higher scores indicating more depression). Physical activity was assessed using a short version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), which is divided into three levels: low, moderate and high levels of physical activity. Eating attitude test-26(EAT-26) is widely used screening instruments for disordered eating attitudes (Scores 20 or above was defined as disordered eating attitude). The data were analyzed by SPSS 20.0 system.

Results: There was no significant correlation between depression and anxiety symptoms and child in the family, parents are highly educated, single-parent family and parents are doctors or nurses and other medical staff. The experimental data suggested that mental health was significantly associated with the suffer from domestic or social violence, use cell phones and computers for fun time, low-intensity exercise, high-intensity exercise and eating disorder.

Conclusion: The thesis concludes that the physical activity was significantly associated with mental health. It is necessary to take measures to reduce anxiety and depression in college students, to improve their understanding of the importance of healthy.