Relationship between physical activity and depressive symptoms in stroke survivors: a cross-sectional study of 1,140 individuals.

Objectives: To investigate the relationship between physical activity and depressive symptoms in stroke survivors.

Design: A cross-sectional study utilizing National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2007-2018 data, employing propensity score matching to control for confounders.

Patients: 1,140 stroke survivors from NHANES, assessing depressive symptoms through the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) conducted via family interview or a mobile examination centre examination.

Methods: PA was surveyed concurrently with the PHQ-9, categorized into vigorous, moderate, and moderate-to-vigorous intensities. Propensity score matching was used to match participants based on their activity levels, and the relationship between physical activity and depressive symptoms was analysed by logistic regression.

Results: Among all the subjects, 225 individuals had significant depressive symptoms. If vigorous-intensity PA duration is longer than 75 min (odds ratio [OR] = 0.41, 95% CI 0.21-0.75) or longer than 150 min (OR = 0.42, 95% CI 0.19-0.85), and moderate-intensity physical activity duration is longer than 150 min (OR = 0.59, 95% CI 0.38-0.90) or between 150 and 300 min (OR = 0.36, 95% CI 0.15-0.77), and moderate-to-vigorous PA duration is greater than 150 min (OR = 0.61, 95% CI 0.40-0.91) or exceeding 300 min (OR = 0.50, 95% CI 0.31-0.78), this might be associated with lower depressive symptoms.

Conclusion: Regular physical activity, particularly of moderate or higher intensity, is associated with milder depressive symptoms in stroke survivors, suggesting the potential for non-pharmacological intervention.