Frequent Sports Dance May Serve as a Protective Factor for Depression Among College Students: A Real-World Data Analysis in China

Evaluation of Depression and Its Correlates in Terms of Demographics, Eating Habits, and Exercises Among University Students: A Multicenter Cross-Sectional Analysis

Background

University students are a vulnerable population prone to mental health challenges. This study aimed to investigate depression and its associated factors among university students in terms of demographics, eating habits, and exercises.

Methods

A total of 2891 university students from three universities participated in this study between January 2024 and February 2024. An online survey questionnaire was distributed using a snow-ball strategy. The survey collected demographic, lifestyle, and psychological data, including depression and anxiety scores using the PHQ-9 and GAD-7 screening tools. Subgroup analysis was conducted according to sport frequency and sport type using Chi-square test for qualitative data and t-test for quantitative data. Multiple linear regression analysis was performed to identify risk factors for depression.

Results

A total of 44.2% and 39.5% of the participants reported symptoms of depression and anxiety, respectively. Significant differences were observed in various characteristics across different sport frequency groups, with participants with higher sport frequency tending to have less depression (P<0.001) and anxiety (P<0.001) symptoms. As the frequency of weekly exercise increased, anxiety and depression scores gradually decreased. The mean PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scores were highest in the group with no sports and lowest in the group with a sport frequency of 3-4 times per week (P<0.001). Additionally, once exercise frequency reached 5 times per week or more, anxiety and depression scores no longer decreased. Subgroup analysis based on sport type revealed that participants engaging in specific sports, such as basketball, tennis, dance, and running, had lower depression (P<0.001) and anxiety (P<0.001) scores compared to the overall average. Based on multiple linear regression analysis, married status (P=0.036), enjoying barbecue food (P<0.001), prolonged sedentary time (P=0.001), experiencing stress events (P<0.001), and electronic device usage time (P<0.001) were positively associated with depression scores, while loving eating vegetables (P=0.007), a relatively longer sport time (P=0.005), a higher exercise frequency (P=0.064), and no chronic disease (P<0.001) were negatively associated with depression scores.

Conclusion

This study highlights the importance of a healthy lifestyle, including regular exercise, limited exposure to electronic screens, and a balanced diet, in preventing and mitigating depression among university students. This study also suggests that exercising 3-4 times a week is associated with the lowest levels of anxiety and depression. Activities such as basketball, tennis, dance, and running are effective in alleviating these mental health issues through regular exercise.

IoT-Oriented Wireless Sensor Network and Sports Dance Movement Perception

The Internet of Things needs to connect different types of sensors in accordance with the agreement, and different agreements can be used for information and information exchange systems, which can facilitate the identification and control of intelligent systems. In many scenarios, location service application data are very important for obtaining accurate location information about nodes. In this paper, a wrist motion sensing sensor based on the PVDF piezoelectric film is developed. To realize the monitoring of wrist motion signals, this paper designs and manufactures a series of PVDF noninvasive sensors for motion perception. The characteristics of sports dance movements are reflected in the coordination between men and women, and the dance posture and movements must be synchronized with the music according to the level of music rhythm structure. The transfer of center of gravity is the main driving force of sports, and the gait of athletes is related to the transfer of center of gravity. Posture stability is the basic element of sports dance training. Only on this basis can it be possible to develop specific motion function trajectories and technical action forms.

Investigation on Depression of College Students Majoring in Physical Education and Nonphysical Education: A StudyBased on the Age Region and Gender of 374 Students

In the research on the relationship between depression and college students' major, there are some differences in the degree of depression between sports major and nonsports major students. Based on these results, we assume that there is the possibility of emotional differences between professional and nonprofessional sports. A total of 374 samples of students majoring in physical education and nonphysical education at the same university were analyzed by using the methods of literature review and data analysis. A total of 188 subjects, including 121 males and 253 females (186 majoring in sports and nonsports), were asked to fill in the SDS (Self-Rating Depression Scale). SDS is widely used in rough screening, emotional state evaluation, investigation, and scientific research of outpatients in clinical psychology departments. The research obtained the difference in depression degree in the whole sample and further compared the depression degree of students of different ages and native places. Statistical analysis was performed on all data using SPSS 23.0 software. Basic data description, paired chi-square analysis, and covariance analysis were used. The results show that in this sample, the maximum value (minimum/maximum value) of one item of the total depression score of nonphysical education students exceeds the average value by 3 standard deviations, and this shows that the general level of depression scores of non-PE majors is high; most non-PE majors are in mild depression, which is equal to the number of PE majors who are in a normal mood; and nonsports majors in cities are more likely to have mild depression.