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312024
Association between no leisure-time physical activity and mental distress severity among Florida adults
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
Tammie M. Johnson, DrPH
,
Department of Public Health, Brooks College of Health, University of North Florida, Jacksonville, FL
Sara McDowell, BS
,
Department of Public Health, University of North Florida, Jacksonville, FL
Jamie Forrest, MS
,
Bureau of Chronic Disease Prevention, Florida Department of Health, Tallahassee, FL
James Churilla, PhD, MPH
,
Department of Clinical and Applied Movement Science, University of North Florida, Jacksonville, FL
Background: Having a sedentary lifestyle is associated with increased morbidity and mortality related to many chronic conditions. Frequent mental distress (FMD), a dichotomous variable, is associated with increased prevalence of many chronic disease-related risk factors, including having no leisure-time physical activity (LTPA). The examination of outcomes using a multi-level index of mental distress severity has been limited to specific years and states based on the inclusion of the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) Anxiety and Depression Module. The specific aim of this study is to examine the relationship between no LTPA and mental distress among Florida adults using a newly developed mental distress severity index (MDSI). Methods: Data from the 2010 Florida BRFSS were used (n=35,109). The MDSI was developed and tested for reliability. This new index ranges from no significant metal distress to severe mental distress (a five-level scale) and was used to examine the relationship between no LTPA and mental health severity. Results: After controlling for socio-demographic variables, those with moderate to severe mental distress had odds ratios 1.4 to 2.7 times higher for having no LTPA compared to those with no significant mental distress. Conclusions: Using a five-level measure of mental distress severity allows for a closer examination of health-related outcomes and provides more information about these relationships. This additional information improves our understanding of the relationship between mental distress severity and health-related outcomes and provides more information to those designing public health interventions.
Learning Areas:
Epidemiology
Public health or related research
Social and behavioral sciences
Learning Objectives:
Describe the methods used to construct a new mental health severity index using BRFSS data.
Describe no leisure-time physical activity patterns among Florida adults with varying levels of mental distress severity.
Keyword(s): Epidemiology, Surveillance
Presenting author's disclosure statement:Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have worked in the area of chronic disease epidemiology since 1998. Before entering academia in 2010, I was an epidemiologist with the Florida Department of Health. I currently am an assistant professor at the University of North Florida, Department of Public Health. I have co-authored several peer-reviewed articles on various chronic disease epidemiology topics including diabetes, tobacco use, physical activity, and metabolic syndrome.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines,
and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed
in my presentation.
