Associations Of Sedentary Behaviour And Physical Activity With Mental Health Problems And Testosterone Levels Among Male College Students in Chongqing, China

[Abstract]ObjeetiveTo investigate the associations of sedentary behavior and physical activity( PA ) with mental health problems and testosterone levels in male college students from Chongqing, China. Methods A total of 582 college students from the Male Reproductive Health in Chongqing CollegeStudents ( MARHC'S) cohort study in 2015 were included. Participants completed a questionnaire assessing demographics, sedentary behavior, PA, and mental health information. Physical activity was classified into quartiles based on scores on the physical activity rating scale-3, resulting in the following groups: Ql, Q2.03, and (serum testosterone and cortisol levels were measured by chemiluminescent enzyme immunoassay. say. logistic and linear regression models were used to analyze associations of sedentary behavior and PA with mental health problems and serum testosterone and cortisol levels. Results The rates of depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms were 6. 70%, 12.7196, and 6. 709% among 582 male college students, respectively. Compared to sedentary behavior <6 participants, participants in the sedentary behavior> 10 hours group had a higher risk of depression symptoms (0R=6.66,95% C/: 2.16-20.49, P=0. 001)and lower testosterone levels (-13.22%6,95%C1:-19.56%--6.37%, P<0. 00l). Participants in the PA Q4 group had lower risk of depression symptoms (0R=0.34,95% C1: 0.13-0.87, P=0. 025) and higher testosterone levels (8.02%6,95% C:1.37%-15.10%, P=0. 017) than participants in the PA Ql group. Analyses found that there were no associations of sedentary behavior with depression, anxiety symptoms, testosterone and cortisol levels, and testosterone/cortisol ratio among college students with high levels ( all P>0. 05). Conclusions Sedentary behavior is a risk factor for depression symptoms and de-erased testosterone level in college students. PA is a protective factor of depression symptoms and is associated with increased testosterone levels, PA may protect against the adverse effects induced by sedentary behavior. 

Keywords: Sedentary behaviour; Physical activity; Mental health ; Testosterone Fund program: National Natural Science Foundation of China( 82003429)

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The college stage is a critical period for individual development and physical and mental growth, but their mental health is extremely vulnerable to disruption. In recent years, the prevalence of mental illness among Chinese college students has increased significantly, and the current situation of mental health is not optimistic [1]. Mental health and sleep, physical activity, negative life events and

Factors such as social support are closely related, and sedentary life and physical activity are two important aspects [2]. In the past decade, Americans' sedentary time has increased from 5 to 7 hours a day to 6 to 8 hours [3]. Compared with the general population, college students sit for longer periods due to course study and other reasons, with the proportion of >8 h being 34% [4].

Prolonged sitting is directly related to the lack of physical activity, which can lead to an increase in the incidence of cardiovascular diseases, metabolic syndrome, mental health problems, and other diseases [5]. As an important means to improve the public health of the population, sports play an important role in promoting physical and mental health. For example, an appropriate level of physical activity not only helps to improve subjective well-being and reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression but also improves free testosterone levels and semen quality in male athletes [6].

Although previous studies have reported the association between prolonged sitting and physical exercise with mental health problems and testosterone levels [7-8], there are shortcomings: (1) Most of the volunteers are special groups or clinical patients, and their research conclusions should not be extrapolated to ordinary people. Population; (2) Graduation-year college students have high psychological pressure and little physical exercise. No research has yet focused on this group. This study examines the relationship between sedentary time and physical activity, mental health problems, and testosterone levels among fourth-year college students (referred to as seniors), and provides a scientific basis for colleges and universities to take corresponding measures to promote the physical and mental health of college students.

1 Subjects and methods

1.1 Research subjects

The research subjects were from the male reproductive health study (MARHCS) cohort of Chongqing male college students from 2013 to 2015.

The MARHCS cohort aims to study the impact of environmental and socio-psychological-behavioral factors on male reproduction. This study is an analysis of the second follow-up data (2015) of the MARHCS cohort. According to the detection rate of mental health problems among Chinese college students, the sample size was estimated to be n = 380 (α = 0.05, U1-α/2 = 1.96, δ = 0.05), and a total of 582 male college students were included as research subjects [9]. This study has been reviewed by the Ethics Committee of the Third Military Medical University (ethics approval number: 1.0/2013-4-12), and all participants were informed of the purpose of the survey and signed informed consent.

1.2 Research methods

1.2.1 Questionnaire

The questionnaire mainly includes basic information, sedentary, "physical activity Rating Scale 3" (PARS-3), and the Chinese version of "depression, anxiety and Stress Scale 21" (DASS-21).

Basic information includes age, height, weight, BMI, smoking, and drinking, where smoking is defined as current smoking (never or ever smoking is excluded), and drinking is defined as current drinking (never or ever drinking is excluded). The following question was used to assess sedentary behavior: "How long did you sit on average every day in the past three months (including time spent working, resting, playing on the computer, etc., and excluding standing time in between)?" The revised PARSS-3 and the Chinese version of DASS-21 of the Wuhan Institute of Physical Education were used to assess the physical activity level and depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms of college students [9].

A PARSS-3 score ≥ 24 was classified as a high level of physical activity; physical activity was classified into Q1, Q2, Q3, and Q4 groups according to the quartiles of the PARSS-3 score. The Cronbach's α coefficients of the PARSS-3 and the Chinese version of DASS-21 in this study were 0.644 and 0.842, respectively.

1.2.2 Serum hormone detection

The serum testosterone and cortisol concentrations were determined by chemiluminescent enzyme immunoassay in the nuclear medicine department of Chongqing Southwest Hospital.

1.3 Statistical methods

The data were analyzed using SPSS 22.0 statistical software, and the measurement and counting data were expressed as M (P25, P75) and frequency and frequency, respectively. A logistic regression model was used to analyze the association between long-term sitting and physical exercise and depression, anxiety, and stress in college students; the linear regression analysis model was used to analyze the association between long-term sitting and physical exercise and testosterone, cortisol levels and testosterone/cortisol ratio in college students;