Association Between Step Counts and Depressive Symptoms (Preprint)

Abstract

The use of life-log data in psychiatry can provide valuable insights regarding the effectiveness of treatments for depression.

This cross-sectional transdiagnostic study investigated the relationship between daily step counts, measured via an actigraph, and depressive symptoms in a large population of 3021 Asian individuals.

Depressive symptoms were measured using the PHQ-9 questionnaire, and actigraphy data were collected using the wGT3X-BT device. Data regarding the number of steps taken by the participants were collected during four different time periods. The participants wore the actigraphy device continuously for 7 days, from 18:00 on the day on which they provided study consent until 6:00 7 days later.

Among the participants, 1,093 exhibited depressive symptoms while 1,928 did not. Significant differences in mean step counts were observed between the symptoms and no-symptoms groups during each time period, except for 0:00–6:00. The average step count data revealed that the severity of depressive symptoms was significantly and negatively correlated with the number of steps taken during the 06:00–12:00, 12:00–18:00, and 18:00–24:00 periods.

Individuals with depressive symptoms had significantly lower mean step counts than those without depressive symptoms, indicating that there is a relationship between physical activity and mood state.