Recreational exercise is associated with lower prevalence of depression and anxiety and better quality of life in German people living with HIV

Abstract

Sedentarism is a risk factor for depression and anxiety. People living with the human immunodeficiency virus (PLWH) have a higher prevalence of anxiety and depression compared to HIV-negative individuals. This cross-sectional study (n = 450, median age 44 (19-75), 7.3% females) evaluates the prevalence rates and prevalence ratio (PR) of anxiety and/or depression in PLWH associated with recreational exercise. A decreased likelihood of having anxiety (PR=0.57; 0.36-0.91; p = 0.01), depression (PR=0.41; 0.36-0.94; p=0.01), and comorbid anxiety and depression (PR = 0,43; 0.24-0.75; p=0.002) was found in exercising compared to non-exercising PLWH. Recreational exercise is associated with a lower risk for anxiety and/or depression. Further prospective studies are needed to provide insights on the direction of this association.

Depression during the COVID‐19 pandemic among people living with HIV: Are low HIV/AIDS stigma and high perceived emotional support protective resources?

“…found depression the most important predictor of poor treatment adherence (Gonzales et al, 2011;Rutakumwa et al, 2021), low health-related quality of life (Pérez-Chaparro et al, 2022;Rzeszutek & Gruszczyńska, 2018), faster HIV infection progression, and even increasing mortality in this patient group (Ickovicks et al, 2001;Namagga et al, 2021). However, the aetiology of depression is very complex, and various biological and psychosocial factors co-occur as risk factors in this clinical sample, including potentially terminal diagnosis (Filiatreau et al, 2022;Leserman, 2003), challenges with HIV disclosure and related HIV/AIDS stigma (Kiene et al, 2018;Zotova et al, 2022), and the burden of life-long treatment adherence and associated side-effects (Borran et al, 2021;Fumaz et al, 2005).…”

Effects of physical activity level on quality of life, stress, and dietary behavior in people living with HIV/AIDS: A pilot study

“…These results confirm previous studies that physical activity reduces symptoms of depression and control anxiety through changes in mood and cognitive function. [36][37][38] Additionally, it positively affects the physical and mental health of people with HIV. [32,34,[39][40][41] From a physiological perspective, regular physical activity stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system activity, reduces due to anxiety, and ultimately controls anxiety symptoms.…”