ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Public Health
Sec. Aging and Public Health
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1629695
This article is part of the Research TopicUnveiling the Mental Health Impact of Physical Decline in Older Adults: A Holistic ApproachView all 17 articles
Analysis of the correlation between physical activity level, sleep quality, and anxiety levels in middle-aged and older adults: A cross-sectional study
Provisionally accepted
- First People’s Hospital of Zunyi, Zunyi, China
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Objective: This study aimed to investigate the associations between physical activity levels, sleep quality, and anxiety status in a cross-sectional sample of middle-aged and older adults.Material and Methods: Anxiety was assessed using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7 (GAD-7) scale, and sleep quality was evaluated using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Physical activity levels were evaluated using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). Multivariable logistic regression models were used to analyze the associations, adjusting for potential confounders such as age, gender, body mass index (BMI), smoking, and alcohol use.Results: A total of 488 participants were included. Both good sleep quality and adherence to recommended physical activity levels were independently associated with a significantly reduced risk of anxiety (P < 0.001). Sleep quality, rather than sleep duration, emerged as a key factor of anxiety. Stratified analyses showed that these associations were more pronounced in females, non-smokers, and urban residents.This study underscores the importance of sleep quality and physical activity in reducing anxiety risk. These findings suggest that integrated strategies promoting better sleep and increased physical activity may be effective for anxiety prevention and intervention among middle-aged and older adults.
Keywords: physical activity, sleep quality, Anxiety, Association, Crosssectional study
Received: 22 May 2025; Accepted: 20 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Li, Tang, Hu, Xu, Wang and Li. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Jianping Li, jianpingli2025@163.com
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