Research paperPhysical activity correlates among 24,230 people with depression across 46 low- and middle-income countries

•Physical inactivity in people with depression is associated with older age, not being married, being more wealthy or unemployed.•Those living in urban settings are less physically active.•A wide range of physical co-morbidities and pain are correlates of physical inactivity in people with depression.

BackgroundThere is a paucity of nationally representative data available on the correlates of physical activity (PA) among people with depression, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Thus, we investigated PA correlates among community-dwelling adults with depression in this setting.MethodsWorld Health Survey data included 24,230 adults (43.1 ± 16.1 years; 36.1% male) with ICD-10 diagnoses of depression including brief depressive episode and subsyndromal depression aged ≥ 18 years from 46 LMICs. PA was assessed by the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Participants were dichotomised into low and moderate-to-high physically active groups. Associations between PA and a range of sociodemographic, health behaviour and mental and physical health variables were examined using multivariable logistic regressions.Results34.8% of participants with depression were physically inactive. In the multivariate analyses, inactivity was associated with male sex, older age, not being married/cohabiting, high socio-economic status, unemployment, living in an urban setting, less vegetable consumption, and poor sleep/ low energy. In addition, mobility difficulties and some somatic co-morbidity were associated with not complying with the 150 min per week moderate-to-vigorous PA recommendations.ConclusionsThe current data provide guidance for future population level interventions across LMICs to help people with depression engage in regular PA.