Physical activity patterns of adults with and without serious psychological distress: Findings from the 2009 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey

Background: Physical activity may lead to improvements in psychological symptoms in the general population. However, little information exists on the patterns of physical activity among persons with serious psychological distress (SPD). Objective: The purpose of this study is to compare patterns of physical activity among adults with and without SPD using current public health guidelines for physical activity. Methods: We used the 2009 BRFSS survey to assess SPD using the Kessler-6 scale and physical activity based on the 2008 Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) guidelines (N=79,729). All data were self-reported. Estimates were age adjusted to the year 2000 U.S. standard population. Binomial logistic regression analyses were performed to estimate prevalence ratios (PR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results: The unadjusted and age-adjusted prevalence of SPD were 4.0% (95% CI, 3.7–4.3) and 3.9% (95% CI, 3.6–4.2), respectively. The unadjusted and age-adjusted prevalence of meeting DHHS recommendations were 44.2% (95% CI, 40.5-47.8) and 44.6% (95% CI, 40.8–48.4) among adults with SPD and 66.3% (95% CI, 65.6–67.0) and 66.4% (95% CI, 65.6–67.1) among adults without SPD. After adjustment for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, body mass index, and smoking, adults with SPD were significantly less likely to be physically active at recommended levels than adults without SPD (PR 0.75; 95% CI, 0.70–0.81). PRs remained significant after further adjustment for perceived health status and physical activity limitations. Conclusions: The findings of this study demonstrate that adults with SPD are less likely to meet DHHS physical activity recommendations than adults without SPD.