Amrutha M and A. Shahin Sultana
Pondicherry University, Puducherry
Pages: 453-465
Physical activities and Mental Health are associated. The changes in life style and the
influence of technology have changed the habits and daily activities of the Youth.
Physically involved activities are replaced with virtual and sedentary activities. As
decreased physical activities foster depression, the aim of the study is to find if the
lack of physical activities can be a predictor of risk of depression among young adults.
The study has engaged the primary data collected from colleges in Puducherry district.
The Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) has been used to measure depressive
symptoms and International Physical Activity Questionnaire – Short Form for categorizing
the level of physical activity was administered to the participants. From the study it is
inferred that 87.5% of the respondents are having some levels of depression. In addition,
it is inferred that 51.8% are having high level of physical activities, 14.4% are having
moderate level and 33.8% are having low level of physical activities. No significant
association was found between gender, area of residence and economic status of the
respondents with respect to their depression scores. The gender and physical activities
are having a significant association (p<.001), which indicate there exists a gender gap
in the physical activities of male and female students. No significant association was
found between economic status and area of residence with respect to physical activities.
The present study suggests that awareness on the association between Physical and
Mental Health is necessary. Educational Institutions need to consider implementing
programs or initiatives that specifically target the mental, physical and social health of
the students