Dose-response relationship between sedentary time and anxiety and the moderating effect of a 10- minute walk: a cross-sectional study based on a large sample of Chinese population

Abstract

Background The effectiveness and generalisability of conventional anxiety treatment programmes is low across the population, and it is important to establish physical activity-based intervention programmes to prevent and improve anxiety. This study analysed the impact of sedentary activity on anxiety, explore its dose-response relationship, and investigate the interactive effects of 10-minute walks and sedentary duration on anxiety. Methods Using the cross-sectional data from the Chinese Psychological and Behavioural Study of the Population (PBICR) 2022. Assessed the anxiety status of the study participants according to the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7). In addition, binary logistic regression was used to determine the association between sedentary time and anxiety and to analyze the effect of the interaction between 10-minute walks per day and sedentary time on anxiety. Further, a restricted cubic spline model was used to analyze the dose-response relationship between sedentary time and anxiety risk. Results Participants who were sedentary for > 6 hours had a 25.1% increased risk of anxiety (OR = 1.251) compared to those who were sedentary for ≤ 6 hours. Among those sedentary for > 6 hours, each additional hour of sedentary time increased the risk of anxiety by 4.3%. However, for participants sedentary for ≤ 6 hours, sedentary time did not increase the risk of anxiety. We observed a non-linear J-shaped relationship between sedentary time and the risk of anxiety (non-linear trend p < 0.001). Among individuals who were sedentary for > 6 hours, those who walked more than 10 minutes on ≤ 5 days per week had a 67.1% increased risk of anxiety (OR = 1.671), whereas those who walked more than 10 minutes on > 5 days per week experienced a 19% decreased risk of anxiety (OR = 0.810). For individuals sedentary for ≤ 6 hours, each additional day of walking for > 10 minutes reduced the risk of anxiety by 9.8%. Among those sedentary for > 6 hours, each additional day of walking for > 10 minutes reduced the risk of anxiety by 10.3%. Conclusion Increased sedentary time is independently associated with a higher risk of anxiety, and a non-linear J-shaped relationship was observed between the two variables. Walking for more than 10 minutes mitigates the negative effects of sedentary activity on anxiety.