Sitting Time, But Not Level Of Physical Activity, Is Associated With Depression In Methadone-Maintained Smokers

Problem: Sedentary behavior has been linked to many physical and mental health disorders including heightened risk for depression. Methadone-maintained individuals are at increased risk for depression and have been shown to be physically active at lower rates than the general population.

Method: We assessed the relationship between sitting time, physical activity, and depression in a group of 315 methadone-maintained smokers.

Results: Mean participant age was 39.9 years of age, 49.5% were male, and 79.4% were non-Hispanic White. The mean time reported sitting each day was 320.4 minutes and the mean CES-D depression score was 12.0. After controlling for background characteristics, physical function, and physical activity, depression was significantly and positively related to sitting time.

Conclusion: Interventions to decrease time spent sitting and increase physical activity could have important benefits for the mental health of methadone-maintained individuals. This population is often underserved and suffers disproportionately from limited physical and mental health functioning, making them an ideal population for low-cost interventions to reduce sitting time and/or increase physical activity to improve well-being.