Independent and Combined Associations of Physical Activity, Sedentary Time, and Activity Intensities With Perceived Stress Among University Students: Internet-Based Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background Mental health is an emerging topic on university campuses, with students reporting higher levels of psychological distress than the general population of the same age. Increasing physical activity and reducing sedentary time have been proved promising measures to promote mental health in the general population. However, to derive and implement effective measures to promote mental health among university students, further exploration of the associations between physical activity, sedentary time, and perceived stress in this specific setting is needed. Objective This study aims to identify associations between physical activity, sedentary time, and perceived stress after controlling for sociodemographic and behavioral variables among university students in Germany. We hypothesize that perceived stress is inversely related to physical activity and positively associated with sedentary time. Furthermore, we hypothesize that combined associations of concurrently high physical activity and low sedentary time on perceived stress are stronger compared with either alone and that the association between physical activity and perceived stress depends on activity intensity. Methods We conducted cross-sectional analyses from a large-scale internet-based student health survey (n=4189; response rate=10.0%). Physical activity, sedentary time, and engaging in moderate and vigorous activity intensities were assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire Short Form with categorization into low, intermediate, and high levels. We measured perceived stress using the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale (range 0-40). Results The results indicate that higher physical activity and lower sedentary time are associated with reduced levels of perceived stress. Following adjustment for gender, BMI, income, fruit and vegetable intake, alcohol consumption, and sleep quality, perceived stress scores were lower for students reporting high physical activity levels and low sedentary time compared with the least active and highly sedentary students (Perceived Stress Scale –2.2, 95% CI –2.9 to –1.5, P<.001 for physical activity and –1.1, CI 95% –1.7 to –0.5, P<.001 for sedentary time). Combined associations with perceived stress revealed that students concurrently reporting high total physical activity and low sedentary time reported the lowest perceived stress scores of all possible combinations following adjustment for confounders (Perceived Stress Scale –3.5, CI 95% –4.6 to –2.5, P<.001 compared with students reporting low physical activity levels and concurrently high sedentary time). Associations between vigorous physical activities and perceived stress were not stronger compared with moderate activity intensities. Conclusions Self-reported physical activity and low sedentary time are favorably associated with perceived stress, while the intensity of physical activities seems to be of minor importance. These results help to effectively implement health-promoting measures on campus among university students through increasing physical activity and reducing sedentary time.

Major Stress-Related Symptoms During the Lockdown: A Study by the Italian Society of Psychophysiology and Cognitive Neuroscience

“…Furthermore, changes in the amount of physical activity could be considered as a possible factor contributing to changes in perceived stress during the quarantine. Accumulating evidence suggests that perceived stress is inversely related to the amount of physical activity and positively associated with sedentary time, especially in the young population ( 24 ). In this frame of reference, it could be hypothesized that reduced physical activity induced by the lockdown could have an impact on perceived stress ( 25 , 26 ).…”

Association between the Physical Activity Behavioral Profile and Sedentary Time with Subjective Well-Being and Mental Health in Chilean University Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…In this regard, recent studies have sought to understand how the combination of physical activity and sedentary behavior leads to certain health problems and, in particular, of mental health. Physically active college students with low sitting times have been reported to have a low prevalence of stress and depressive symptoms [ 36 , 37 , 38 ], lower risk of mental health problems and of better sleep quality [ 39 ]. From a positive psychological perspective, there is evidence supporting the association between physical activity and well-being, life satisfaction, and happiness in university students [ 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 ].…”

Increased Perceived Stress is Negatively Associated with Activities of Daily Living and Subjective Quality of Life in Younger, Middle, and Older Autistic Adults

“…The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS; Cohen & Williamson, 1988) is one of the most commonly used instruments for the measurement of perceived stress, and has been implemented in neurotypical (Ezzati et al, 2014;Tan et al, 2020) and autistic samples (Bishop-Fitzpatrick, Minshew, et al, 2017;Bishop-Fitzpatrick et al, 2018;Wijker et al, 2020).…”