The Relationship Between Leisure-Time Physical Activity and Mental Health Conditions in Undergraduate Students

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between self-reported leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) and self-reported symptoms of mental health conditions on mental health condition questionnaires among undergraduate students. Methods: Forty undergraduates (females: n=17, males: n=23; age=20.25±1.05) from Western University participated in this study. They completed a series of questionnaires which included the ASRS-V1.1, GAD-7, PTSD-ST, and PHQ-9, and were allocated into an attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (n=9, 3 females, age: 20.55±1.01), anxiety (n=11, 6 females, age: 20.55±1.22), multiple condition (n=3, 1 females, age: 19.33±0.58), or control group (n=17, 7 females, age: 20±0.87). LTPA was quantified using the Godin-Shephard Leisure-time Physical Activity Questionnaire for a 7-day period and a 6-month period. Spearman’s rank correlation coefficients were used to examine the relationship between LTPA and mental health condition scores. Results: There was no statistically significant relationship between the total mental health score and self-reported LTPA scores in the 7-day period (r = -0.178, p = 0.272) or the 6-month period (r = -0.081, p = 0.621). There was no apparent relationship between self-reported LTPA scores and the questionnaire scores of each condition. Conclusion: Our results indicate that self-reported LTPA has no significant relationship with mental health among undergraduate students. Interestingly, LTPA in kinesiology students may be higher than in other undergraduate faculties. More research is required to determine if kinesiology students experience altered motivations for engaging in LTPA.