Physical activity and depression during the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria: does age and gender make a difference?

Background: There is overwhelming evidence indicating that depression may be reduced by physical activity (PA), but studies in lower- and middle-income countries and those that involved data at higher physical activity doses were underrepresented. The current study investigated the associations between PA levels (vigorous, moderate, walking and sitting) and depression and tested whether age and gender moderate the link between PA and depression during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: The participants were 857 adults (51.0% women; aged 18–69, mean age = 29.71, SD = 10.84 years) who completed an online survey as part of the General Health, Speech and Physical Activity Relationship Assessment Study in Nigeria. Physical activity was assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) short form, while depression was measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). Results: The results of the Hayes PROCESS macro indicated that those who engaged in vigorous PA reported lower levels of depression (B = − 0.02, p <0.01). Sitting (B = − 0.00, p = 0.050), walking (B = 0.00, p = 0.054) and moderate (B = 0.00, p =0.064) PA were not significantly associated with depressive symptoms. Older participants reported fewer symptoms of depression (B = 0.11, p <.001). Women had higher depressive symptoms than men (B = 0.91, p <0.05). The interactions of age and gender with PA levels were not significant, which showed that age and gender did not moderate the relationships of PA and depression. Conclusion: Engagement in vigorous PA may be helpful to reduce levels of depression and improve mental health in the general population.