Physical Activity and Level of Depression among Youths in the United States
A00493777
Physical Activity and Level of Depression among Youths in the United States
Introduction
According to a recent presentation by The Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention, frequent physical activity among youths and adolescents is an important factor in enhancing strength and stamina, and it is helpful in building healthy bones and muscles (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015). It was also discovered that physical activities are a critical factor in reducing stress and depression among the youths. Failing to engage in regular physical activity has been established to cause obesity and overweight as well as other health related complications (Azevedo Da Silva et al., 2012). Thus implementing a regular physical activity program among the youths and adolescents is considered a necessary healthy intervention in lowering the rising trends of prevalence of depression status among the American youths and teenagers at an odds ratio of 0.71(Azevedo Da Silva et al., 2012).
Background Information
Previous evidence linking the presence or absence of physical activities to depression includes a study carried out by Dishman in 2006 among 12th -grade girls which entailed an examination of how self-concept and self-esteem intersect with sports involvement as a physical activity. Among the 1,250 students who took part in the study, it was noted that participating in sports as a physical activity has the potential of raising self-esteem and self-concept among the young girls (Dishman, 2006). Physical self-concept was synonymous with body functionality and included body mass index, fitness and looks, all of which have been found to be key contributors of depression risks among girls. The study thus concluded that physical activity has a potential to diminish depression risks. A further research in 2008 by Martinsen which primarily focused on identifying the role played by physical activities in preventing depression indicated that major mental-health problems such as anxiety and depressive anxiety can be minimized when individuals adopt advantageous lifestyle modifications that provide enhanced possibilities of these individuals’ participation in physical activities (Martinsen, 2008). The study indicated that physical activity interventions among the adults who displayed anxiety and depressive symptoms greatly influenced the recovery of such individuals. It was therefore concluded that perhaps, physical activities have a direct association with depression anxiety.
The above research findings were further supported by Taliaferro et al. who investigated hopelessness, suicidal deeds and depression tendencies, and the results revealed that the individuals who exhibited decreased possibilities of ever being depressed, hopeless and suicidal thoughts were more likely to be less active in physical activities (Taliaferro et al., 2009). More recent research carried out by Jorstad et al., and Penado and Dahn supports the expanding literature body on the strong connection between physical activity and depression (Penedo & Dahn, 2005: Jerstad at al., 2010).
On the other hand, Allison, et al, in a research conducted in 2005 found out that forceful vigorous physical activity significantly leads to social dysfunction, increased anxiety and depression among individuals (Allison et al., 2005). This shows that physical activities are beneficial to individuals in reducing anxiety and depression while excessive and forced physical activities produces undesirable results. On a long-term basis, a physical activity's intervention program to reduce the levels of depression among individuals has been found to be ineffective as it acts as a filter of chronic stress, but only helps in the physical wellness of an individual. For physical activity intervention to be effective, Babiss and Gangwish suggested that individuals must be provided with sufficient motivation and chances to take part in sports and other physical activities rather than being forced to arbitrarily take part in such activities in which case, there will be no effectual desirable course (Babiss, L.A. & Gangwisch, 2009). This can be done through social assistance and enhanced self-esteem among the participating youths.
The existing studies demonstrate a constant relationship between inferior mental conditions such as depression and anxiety and physical activities. While most studies suggest that physical activities are beneficial for the individuals, it has also been demonstrated by other research findings that certain types of physical activities performed especially using a negative way are more likely to cause negative outcomes (Rogers et al., 2012). For instance, people with cardiac problems might exacerbate their condition when they engage in unmonitored exercise. The existing studies are therefore, inconclusive and especially among the youths where less research has been carried out. Youths and adolescents have significantly different characteristics from adults and therefore, studies that have been carried among adults cannot be fully generalized among the youths from different social-economic status and gender.
Problem statement
In the present scenarios in the United States, it has been noted that there has been a significant decline in physical activities among adolescents and youths in America, and this has reportedly contributed to a decrease in mental health (Biddle & Asare, 2011). Among the early studies used to determine the levels of physical activities among the youths, it was established that vigorous physical activities among middle adolescent girls fell from 5.9 hours weekly to 4.9 hours weekly and finally during late teenage it decreased from 5.1 to 3.5 hours weekly. Among the boys, their levels of physical activities previously was 6.5 hours weekly but has declined to 5.1 hours weekly as at present. This level has also declined from the previous 15.2 to 11.4 hours weekly when they are in their late adolescent years. This was mainly attributed to an increase in computer usage, where girls working with computers increased from 8.8 to 11.1 hours weekly. It was also found out that the percentage of children aged 9-13 taking part in regular physical activities nationally was 77% (Neumark-Stzainer et al., 2006). Among high school students in America, only 27% reported to participating in physical activities that had more than 60 minutes a day. Other recent research findings have also shown a consistent decline in physical activities among adolescents from middle age to late ages.
In other studies that have been carried among adolescents with symptoms of depression, it was found out that they significantly engaged in physical activities for fewer hours than their counterparts who had regular physical activities. A report card on the Physical activity among adolescents and youths in the United States for 2014 shows that America scored D- where more American youths and adolescents are less likely to fulfill their physical activity needs. Moreover, in the United States, the most common mental challenge is depression with approximately 2.6 million youths aged between 12 and 17 years affected. This population was 10.75% of the American youth population who are aged between 12 and 17 years (National Institute of Mental Health, 2013). It was thus concluded that engaging in physical activity significantly helps in reducing possibilities of depression when one takes into consideration that youths who engaged in physical activities reported lower symptoms of depression.
The relationship between physical activity and depression has been investigated both among the youth and in the general population with most findings revealing contrasting outcomes. There is a need to perform studies among the youths and the adult population so as to understand this phenomenon better. Moreover, the research findings should be aimed at understanding if the relationship between depression and physical activities is uniform among youths from different genders, social-cultural status, and ethnicity. This dissertation will, therefore, aim at providing more evidence on the link between physical activities and the mental well-being of the American adolescents and youths. It will aim at establishing whether there is indeed a link between physical activities and levels of depression among the youths.
Research Gap
One element that has missed significantly from the literature is information on the nature of the association, its magnitude and whether the association between the physical activity and depression among the young population is statistically significant. There is a great need to understand the nature of the association. The primary assumption is that the association is linear, to imply that a change in one variable leads to either a negative or positive effect on the other variable. However, there is a need to understand whether the association is positive or negative. This will pave way for the drawing of a conclusion on whether an increase in physical activity will result to a decrease or increase in the levels of depression.
There is also a need to understand the magnitude of the association; whether it is weak, moderate, or strong on either sides of the linear equation. This information is important because it offers guidance on the level of interventions required, their urgency, and the level of seriousness. Finally, there is need to determine the statistical significance of the association. An understanding of the statistical significance helps inform whether the hypotheses upon which the study is based are correct or incorrect.
Significance
The goal of this dissertation is to establish the potential association between levels of depression and physical activities among the American adolescents and youths in the US. The results from this study can then be used to further investigations around this area in the future. The outcomes will particularly be important in strengthening the argument that there exist an association between physical activities and depression levels among the Youths. On the other hand, the outcomes can provide a stronger opposition the claim and in which case more research needs to be carried out in the future to support in using the variables that have been presented during this study.
The overall goals in physical activity priority area are to increase mental quality healthy life and achieve a preventive approach to depression among the American youths. The objective is to eliminate prevalence of depression and anxiety among the American youths due to misconceptions about the effect of physical activities on the mental health of the youths. The findings of this study will contribute to the approaches social scientists use towards enhancing the mental health of the children and the adult population. The finding that physical activity improves ones mental health will offer a rationale for increased emphasis on physical activity in schools.
Framework
For the purposes of this study, a framework based upon a study by Jersted et al., (2010) which states that there exist a bidirectional correlation between physical activity, and depression will be adopted. The same concept was later strengthened by Stavrankis in 2011 by concluding that in an actual sense, the bidirectional association between physical activity and general depressive symptoms is inverse in nature (Stavrankis, 2011). This framework will, therefore, be used for this study to identify independent, dependent and manipulative variables to make the study a true experiment. While investigating, the relationship, the researcher will review other studies and data records from secondary resources having this kind of a framework. The primary data will be collected among selected schools in Texas State in the United States to determine the relationship between the depression and physical activity or inactivity among the youths. Ethical considerations will be taken into perspective during the study to protect the identity of the respondent youths. Regression analysis, Statistical methods and ANCOVA analysis will finally be used to find answers to the two research questions of the study.
Research Hypothesis
The study’s alternative hypothesis will be: There is a bidirectional relationship that exists between physical activity and the level of depression among the youths in the United States, that Predicting factors do affect depression symptoms among youths in the United States.
The null hypothesis in this study will be; that there exists no bidirectional relationship between depression and physical activity among the youths in the United States, that the Predicting factors do not have any effect on the levels of depression among the youths in the United States
Research questions
The current study will be guided by two main research questions as indicated below:
What is the relationship between physical activity and the level of depression among youths in the United States?
What are the predicting factors of depression in physically active and non-physically active youth in the United States?
Other research questions in the study will be:
i. What effect does a physical activity intervention have on the student’s depression symptoms?
ii. What effect does varied cultural backgrounds have on reported depression by American youths?
iii. What effect do gender differences have on depression even when physical activity intervention has been introduced?
iv. Is bidirectional relationship between physical activity and depression uniform among American youths from all social economic status?
Nature of study
The study will adopt a study nature centered on quantitative research with the intention to understand and validate the hypothesis that there is a bidirectional relationship between physical activity and depression among the youths in the United States. The researcher makes use of the bidirectional association approach to complete data collection and analysis as described in the above section. The researcher will also evaluate instances where physical activity intervention program have been implemented before so as to gain more understanding of its effectiveness. Here, schools that have implemented physical activity program will be treated as intervention groups while those who have not had such interventions will be taken as control groups. The observations will then be analyzed for observable patterns that suggest there is a connection between physical activity and depression.
Sources of information
This study will rely mostly on secondary sources as the primary data sources. These sources include;
Data from Published reports from reliable government websites such as National Institute of Mental Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as health organizations websites.
Books, newsletters, periodicals and journals that provide relevant evidence on the subject matter in this study.
Video documentaries as additional sources of information on the subject of physical activity and depression.
Measurement of Variables
The dominant variables in the study are the physical activity of the youth and the depression levels. Answering the research questions requires the determination and measurement of the variables of the study. For this study, the independent variable will be the levels of physical activities among youths in the United States. The dependent variable is the depression and/or associated symptoms reported among the American youths. On the other hand, the covariates in this study are the ethnic backgrounds of the participants, their gender, income levels of their families and religious affiliations. The questions in the data collection questionnaire instrumentation are aimed at indicating how independent and covariates variables affect the dependent variable. Physical activity in the study will be measured at three levels. The classifications are based on the intensity of the physical activities in which one is involved and how that relates to their lifestyles. The categorization is based on the allocation of time in terms of hours to various daily activities and the energy cost required in performing those activities. The product of the two variables is then divided by the total hours per day to determine the mean physical activity level. Young are people categorized in the light activity or sedentary lifestyles with a physical activity level of between 1.40 and 1.69 (Food and Agricultural Organization, n.d).
The people in the moderately active or active lifestyle have a physical activity level of between 1.70 and 1.99 (Food and Agricultural Organization, n.d). Finally, the people classified in the vigorously active lifestyles have a physical activity level of between 2.00 and 2.40 (Food and Agricultural Organization, n.d). Using these three classifications, the researcher will determine the physical activity levels of the subjects to participate in the study. This is a self-reporting exercise in which the subjects will be required to recall and indicate the amount of time required for each of the activities in the list. The researcher will then use the data on the time allocated for each of the activities to determine the physical activity levels and classify the subjects under their respective categories.
Data Analysis Strategies
So as to validate the relationship between independent and dependent variables in this study, statistical analysis such as regression technique will be used to characterize how and the circumstances in which dependent and independent variables are related. Regression analysis examines the association between variables by validating the unexpected outcome of one variable to another (CQ Press, 2015). It calculates the quantitative impact of one fundamental variable on another.
The analysis of the data will be performed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences. However, the researcher will also use Microsoft Excel as a data entry platform and to perform some of the analysis. The researcher will employ various statistical tests to achieve the objectives and aims of the study. Peripheral tests will include t-tests to determine the significance of the differences of the means of various variables of study. Descriptive statistics will be used to present measures of central tendency for the data. The main statistical tests that are central to answering the research question include the correlation. The dependent variable in this study is the depression symptoms reported by the youths due to their activity or inactivity in physical activities.
In this respect, the author will determine the Pearson moment correlation coefficient to determine the nature of the association. This entails whether the linear association of the variables is positive or negative. The Pearson moment correlation will also help determine the magnitude of the association. The output of the Pearson moment correlation when performed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences also includes the data to be used in determining the statistical significance of the association between physical activity and depression.
In its strictest sense, after the relationship between the independent and dependent variables has been developed categorically in question one of the study, the covariates are used to measure their effect on the dependent variable. The ANCOVA analysis in this study is not meant to change the analysis of the study but is used by the researcher in interpreting how results are done and the nature of the conclusions that will be drawn from the study. It only affects the research design and not the research model thus affecting final conclusions.
The ANCOVA analysis is used to test the significance of the differences between the groups of variables. However, this study adds control factors of one or multiple covariates to observe how they influence the scores of the relationship between independent and dependent variables. In this study, depression levels among the youths in America are observed when other factors are integrated such as income levels of the families from which the participants came, ethnicity, gender and educational levels after controlling the levels of physical activities among the youths. These covariates under consideration in this study are interesting phenomena since the researcher suspects that they affect the dependent variable in some way when the independent variable is controlled.
Logistic Regression Analysis is a statistical method used to analyze dichotomous response data. This analysis incorporates one or more numeric covariates. In addition it compares two or multiple groups of variables by adjusting the background factors otherwise known as the covariate measures. The Logistic Regression Analysis is different from ANCOVA analysis in that it uses numeric response measures while it utilizes portions that are based on binomial responses like survival and success rates (Roberts, Rao & Kumar, 1987). In the clinical field it is used in the identification of risk factors associated with diseases in studies that are epidemiological in nature. In this study, it will be used to analyze the prospects of the interventions that will be suggested among various groups of the youths in the US. As such it will be used to measure if the Physical Activity intervention programs in selected schools in the US are applicable among students possessing various backgrounds. It will seek to establish if such factors affect the outcomes of the physical activity clinical interventions to reduce depression among American youths from different ethnic groups, religion and gender.
Assumptions
Though physical activity may be identified to have a bidirectional association with depression, positive implications of this relation may not be observed due to other barriers such as youths having unconstructive life and health modifications concepts, lower motivational levels to take part in physical activities and deficient knowledge about the kinds of physical activities needed to change their perceptions about the benefit of physical activities (Rogerson, Murphy, Bird, & Morris, 2012).
References
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