Physical Activity Volume, Exercise Guidance, and Depressive Symptoms in Young-Old Adults: The Role of Internet Use Frequency and Self-Perceived Digital Proficiency

IF 2.7 2区医学 Q1 PSYCHIATRY

Depression and Anxiety Pub Date : 2026-09-28 DOI:10.1155/da/7595212

Yue-Xuan Mu, Fang-Zhou Qian, Juan Cui

{"title":"Physical Activity Volume, Exercise Guidance, and Depressive Symptoms in Young-Old Adults: The Role of Internet Use Frequency and Self-Perceived Digital Proficiency","authors":"Yue-Xuan Mu, Fang-Zhou Qian, Juan Cui","doi":"10.1155/da/7595212","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Aim</h3>\n \n <p>Physical activity is associated with depressive symptoms in later life, but this association may depend on the form of exercise-related support and older adults’ digital engagement. This study examined whether physical activity volume (PAV) and exercise guidance (EG) were associated with depressive symptoms among young-old adults in China and whether these associations varied by internet use frequency (IUF) and self-perceived digital proficiency.</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Methods</h3>\n \n <p>Data were drawn from the 2020 to 2023 waves of the China Longitudinal Aging Social Survey (CLASS). The analytic sample included 5643 adults aged 60–75 years. Generalized estimating equations (GEE) were used to examine the associations of PAV and EG with depressive symptoms, as well as their interactions with IUF and self-perceived digital proficiency.</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Results</h3>\n \n <p>PAV and EG were associated with lower depressive symptom scores in the full sample, although the association for PAV was less consistent across subgroup and moderation models. More frequent internet use was associated with lower depressive symptom scores and was more consistently related to the EG—depressive symptoms association than to the PAV—depressive symptoms association. The interaction between PAV and IUF was evident mainly among rural respondents. Among internet users, high self-perceived digital proficiency was associated with lower depressive symptom scores and showed a clearer conditional association with EG than with PAV.</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Conclusion</h3>\n \n <p>Digital engagement was more consistently related to the depressive-symptom relevance of EG than to PAV itself. These findings suggest that supporting young-old adults’ mental health may require attention not only to physical activity levels but also to accessible EG and age-friendly digital support.</p>\n </section>\n </div>","PeriodicalId":55179,"journal":{"name":"Depression and Anxiety","volume":"2026 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7000,"publicationDate":"2026-09-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13618808/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Depression and Anxiety","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1155/da/7595212","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"PSYCHIATRY","Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Abstract

Aim

Physical activity is associated with depressive symptoms in later life, but this association may depend on the form of exercise-related support and older adults’ digital engagement. This study examined whether physical activity volume (PAV) and exercise guidance (EG) were associated with depressive symptoms among young-old adults in China and whether these associations varied by internet use frequency (IUF) and self-perceived digital proficiency.

Methods

Data were drawn from the 2020 to 2023 waves of the China Longitudinal Aging Social Survey (CLASS). The analytic sample included 5643 adults aged 60–75 years. Generalized estimating equations (GEE) were used to examine the associations of PAV and EG with depressive symptoms, as well as their interactions with IUF and self-perceived digital proficiency.

Results

PAV and EG were associated with lower depressive symptom scores in the full sample, although the association for PAV was less consistent across subgroup and moderation models. More frequent internet use was associated with lower depressive symptom scores and was more consistently related to the EG—depressive symptoms association than to the PAV—depressive symptoms association. The interaction between PAV and IUF was evident mainly among rural respondents. Among internet users, high self-perceived digital proficiency was associated with lower depressive symptom scores and showed a clearer conditional association with EG than with PAV.

Conclusion

Digital engagement was more consistently related to the depressive-symptom relevance of EG than to PAV itself. These findings suggest that supporting young-old adults’ mental health may require attention not only to physical activity levels but also to accessible EG and age-friendly digital support.

查看原文本刊更多论文

青壮年的身体活动量、运动指导和抑郁症状：互联网使用频率和自我感知数字熟练程度的作用

目的：体育活动与晚年的抑郁症状有关，但这种联系可能取决于运动相关支持的形式和老年人的数字参与。本研究考察了中国青壮年成年人的身体活动量（PAV）和运动指导（EG）是否与抑郁症状相关，以及这些关联是否随互联网使用频率（IUF）和自我感知的数字熟练程度而变化。方法：数据取自2020 - 2023年中国老龄化社会纵向调查（CLASS）。分析样本包括5643名年龄在60-75岁之间的成年人。使用广义估计方程（GEE）来检查PAV和EG与抑郁症状的关联，以及它们与IUF和自我感知数字熟练程度的相互作用。结果：在整个样本中，PAV和EG与较低的抑郁症状评分相关，尽管PAV的关联在亚组和调节模型中不太一致。更频繁地使用互联网与较低的抑郁症状得分相关，并且与eg -抑郁症状的关联比与pav -抑郁症状的关联更一致。PAV与IUF的交互作用主要在农村受访者中表现明显。在互联网用户中，高的自我感知数字熟练程度与较低的抑郁症状得分相关，并且与EG的条件关联比与PAV的条件关联更清晰。结论：数字参与与EG的抑郁症状相关性比与PAV本身的相关性更一致。这些发现表明，支持年轻老年人的心理健康可能不仅需要关注身体活动水平，还需要关注可获得的EG和适合年龄的数字支持。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

求助全文

约1分钟内获得全文求助全文

来源期刊

Depression and Anxiety 医学-精神病学

CiteScore

15.00

自引率

1.40%

发文量

审稿时长

4-8 weeks

期刊介绍： Depression and Anxiety is a scientific journal that focuses on the study of mood and anxiety disorders, as well as related phenomena in humans. The journal is dedicated to publishing high-quality research and review articles that contribute to the understanding and treatment of these conditions. The journal places a particular emphasis on articles that contribute to the clinical evaluation and care of individuals affected by mood and anxiety disorders. It prioritizes the publication of treatment-related research and review papers, as well as those that present novel findings that can directly impact clinical practice. The journal's goal is to advance the field by disseminating knowledge that can lead to better diagnosis, treatment, and management of these disorders, ultimately improving the quality of life for those who suffer from them.