老年人身體活動與憂鬱症狀之流行病學研究

Epidemiologic research of physical activity and depressive symptoms in older adults

愈來愈多的流行病學研究指出：老年人從事身體活動有助於降低未來罹患憂鬱症狀的風險。然而，目前尚待釐清的問題是：1、不同型態身體活動（如：休閒時間、家務性、職業性及交通性）與憂鬱症狀之關係是否相同？2、身體活動的參數例如：強度、頻率、時間，究竟何者對於憂鬱症狀的預測力較大？3、身體活動與憂鬱症狀是單向抑或是雙向關係？本文旨在針對上述議題進行文獻探討，最後歸結研究發現及提出未來可研議推動之方向。There has been an increasing body of epidemiologic evidence revealing that late-life physical activity reduces the risk of subsequent depressive symptoms in older adults. However, the following issues regarding the associations between physical activity and depressive symptoms in the given population are still equivocal. First, are the associations of different types of physical activity, including leisure-time, household, commuting and occupational physical activities, with depressive symptoms differential? Second, which parameters of physical activity, such as frequency, duration and intensity, predict depressive symptoms stronger? Third, is the relationship between physical activity and depressive symptoms unidirectional or bi-directional? The study aimed to address these issues and provided a concise review. Conclusions and suggestions for future promotion on this topic were proposed.