ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Public Health
Sec. Public Mental Health
Associations between physical activity and prenatal depression and anxiety symptoms: a cross-sectional study
Provisionally accepted
- 1Winter Olympic Academy, Harbin Sport University, Harbin, China
- 2College of Physical Education, Sichuan University of Science and Engineering, Zigong, China
- 3Department of Sport, Akademia Wychowania Fizycznego i Sportu im Jedrzeja Sniadeckiego w Gdansku Wydzial Kultury Fizycznej, Gdańsk, Poland
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Prenatal depression and anxiety pose a significant threat to maternal and neonatal health. Although physical activity (PA) improves mental well-being, its effects across pregnancy stages and relationship with sedentary behavior (SB) are not well understood. This study examined the relationships between PA, SB, and prenatal depression and anxiety, investigating differences throughout gestational stages. In this cross-sectional study, 501 pregnant women aged 18–45 completed the International Physical Activity Questionnaire - Short Form (IPAQ-SF), the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7). Pearson correlations, linear regression, decision tree analysis, and one-way ANOVA were used to analyze associations and group differences. PA was inversely correlated with depression (r = -0.637, p < 0.01) and anxiety (r = -0.655, p < 0.01). Linear regression analysis demonstrated strong explanatory power for both depression (R² = 0.839, adjusted R² = 0.836) and anxiety (R² = 0.844, adjusted R² = 0.841), with overall significance (p < 0.001). Sedentary time and weekly MET-minutes were significant predictors (p < 0.001); increased sedentary time was associated with higher symptom scores, while greater PA was linked to lower depression and anxiety. Decision tree analysis identified a threshold of ≥2,346 MET-min/week as being associated with significantly reduced mental health symptom scores. One-way ANOVA revealed no differences in PA, depression, or anxiety across any stage of pregnancy. Higher levels of PA and reduced sedentary time were significantly associated with improved prenatal mental health. These associations were consistent across gestational stages, highlighting the importance of promoting sustained activity and reducing SB throughout pregnancy.
Keywords: prenatal mental health, maternal health promotion, Public health strategy, non-pharmacological intervention, physical activity, Depression, Anxiety, Pregnancy stages
Received: 18 Jul 2025; Accepted: 18 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Mu, Yu and Guoping. 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: Hongli Yu, hongli.yu@suse.edu.cn
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