Purpose This study aims to investigate the role of frequent sports dance in preventing mental disorders, including anxiety and depression, among college students using real-world data, and to further analyze potential risk factors associated with anxiety and depression. Methods We investigated 921 college students from eight universities in China. A survey was completed by 901 students and they were included in the analysis. The anxiety score was evaluated by the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7) scale and the depression score was evaluated by the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). Subgroup comparisons were performed among frequent sports dance students and non-frequent sports dance students. Results Of all the students, 9.98% had moderate-to-severe anxiety and 14.65% students suffered from moderate-to-severe depression. Compared with non-frequent sports dance students, frequent sports dance students had significantly lower depression scores ( P =0.04). According to the multiple logistic regression models, when potential confounding factors were all adjusted, frequent sports dance was also significantly associated with less depression (OR=0.55, 95% CI: 0.36–0.84, P <0.01). We also found that higher college grade levels ( P <0.01), non-physical education students ( P =0.02), higher body mass index ( P =0.02), lower exercise frequency per week ( P <0.01), addiction to drinking ( P =0.02), and previous diagnosis of anxiety or depression in hospital ( P <0.01) were significantly associated with more anxiety; higher college grade levels ( P <0.01), addiction to drinking ( P <0.01), preference for eating fried food ( P =0.02), soda as the main source of drinking water ( P =0.01), and previous diagnosis of anxiety or depression ( P =0.03) were significantly associated with more depression, while higher exercise frequency per week ( P <0.01), only-child status ( P <0.01), and preference for eating vegetables ( P =0.02) were significantly associated with less depression. Conclusion Anxiety and depression are common among college students. Frequent sports dance may serve as a protective factor for preventing depression and it can be recommended for college students.

Purpose This study aims to identify potential risk factors associated with anxiety or depression and propose algorithms to predict anxiety and depression especially among university students. Methods We included and analyzed 881 university students from eight colleges in China in November 2020. Student’s basic information, lifestyles, sport habits, comorbidities, and mental health conditions were collected. Anxiety and depression were measured using the generalized anxiety disorder 7 (GAD-7) and the patient health questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9), respectively. A multiple linear regression analysis was used to assess the ability of 25 potential risk factors for predicting anxiety and depression, and significant risk factors were included in the algorithms. Results Of all the included students, 44.27% lived with mild or above anxious symptoms and 50.62% had mild or above depressive symptoms. According to the multiple linear regression model, grade levels (P<0.01), member of college sports dance team (P=0.05), sedentary time (P=0.02), exercise frequency (P<0.01), only child status (P=0.05), addiction of drinking (P<0.01), and prefer eating vegetable (P<0.01) were significantly associated with anxiety; grade levels (P<0.01), member of college sports dance team (P<0.01), sedentary time (P<0.01), exercise frequency (P<0.01), academic study period during free time (P=0.03), only child status (P<0.01), addiction of drinking (P<0.01), prefer eating vegetables (P<0.01), and main types of drinking water (P<0.01) were significantly associated with depression. Based on these significant factors, two algorithms were successfully developed, and two risk groups were created according to the algorithms. Conclusion The study proposed two algorithms to calculate anxiety and depression, respectively, which can be useful tools to identify students with different risk of anxiety or depression. Effective measures are warranted to improve student’s sport habits and healthy lifestyles in order to mitigate anxiety and depression, especially among students in the high risk group.