Physical activity reduces the risk of anxiety associated with pesticide exposure

Abstract

Objective The purpose of this study was to examine whether there is an association between household pesticide exposure and anxiety symptoms in the United States and whether physical activity mitigates this association. Methods The study used data from the 2007–2012 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), which included 13,728 American adult participants aged 20 years or older. Anxiety is defined as the presence of anxiety symptoms on 7 or more days in a 30-day. Information on recreational physical activity and pesticide exposure was self-reported in interviews. Logistic regression was used to assess the association between household pesticide use and anxiety symptoms. Results Participants exposed to household insecticides had a higher risk of anxiety symptoms compared to those not exposed (OR = 1.398, 95% CI: 1.239–1.576, p < 0.001). When grouped by physical activity, an association between different levels of physical activity and anxiety was found for the vigorous/moderate RPA group (OR = 1.350, 95% CI: 1.113–1.637, p = 0.002), and the light RPA group (OR = 1.434, 95% CI: 1.229–1.673, p < 0.001). Conclusion Household exposure to insecticides was positively associated with the development of anxiety disorders. The incidence of anxiety risk was relatively low in the vigorous/moderate RPA group after pesticide exposure compared to the light RPA.