Investigation of daily physical activity, physical fitness, body composition, and quality of life in depressive patients

Depression is one of the common diseases, and its societal cost increase day to day. The aim of this thesis study is to compare physical fitness parameters (aerobic exercise capacity, muscle strength, trunk flexibility), daily physical activity, pulmonary function, body composition, sleep and life quality changes in patients with depression versus healthy controls as well as to investigate the associations among these parameters. The patients were diagnosed with depression by trained psychiatrists using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV criteria. The patients who had not used antidepressant medications regularly, and no exercise-related risks were included in this study. Eighty patients (40 male, 40 female) with depression and 80 (40 male, 40 female) healthy controls were included in this study. Handgrip strength and back-leg strength were measured with dynamometers; trunk flexibility was measured with flexion meter; daily physical activity was monitored with a metabolic holter; pulmonary function tests were obtained with a portable spirometer; skinfold thickness was measured with a skinfold caliper. Maximal aerobic capacity (VO2max) was estimated with Astrand submaximal exercise protocol. Body composition parameters were determined with a bioelectrical impedance analysis system; arterial stiffness determined by using pulse wave analysis method. Waist, abdomen and hip circumference measurements were taken with a tape measure. Beck depression inventory (BDI), Beck anxiety inventory (BAI), Pittsburg sleep quality index (PSQI), and SF36 quality of life questionnaires were applied to all participants. The data were analyzed using the SPSS version 18.0 software. We found that handgrip and back-leg strengths and health-related quality of life were lower, waist/hip ratio, PSQI, BDI and BAI scores were higher in female patients with depression, compared to healthy controls; whereas, VO2max and health-related quality of life were lower, and daily sleep duration and PSQI, BDI and BAI scores were higher in male patients with depression, compared to healthy controls. In female patients, the BDI and BAI scores were negatively correlated with the strength measurements and SF36 score, but positively correlated with the PSQI score. In male patients, the BDI and BAI scores were negatively correlated with the SF36 score but positively correlated with the PSQI score. In male patients, also BDI score showed positive correlation with daily sleep duration. In bought female and male patients, BAI score showed positive correlation with VO2max. Trunk flexibility, body fat percentage, lean body mass, skinfold thicknesses, pulmonary function tests, vascular age, stiffness index, daily step number, total energy expenditure value, average metabolic equivalent of task (MET) value were not significantly different between the patients and the controls in both genders. VO2max waist, daily sleep duration were not significantly different between the patients and the controls in female patients; whereas, the strength measurements, abdomen circumferences, waist-hip ratio were not significantly different between the patients and the controls in male patients This study revealed that handgrip and back-leg strengths, life and sleep qualities, anxiety symptomatology were impaired in female patients with depression, as compared to healthy controls, whereas aerobic exercise capacity, daily sleep duration, life and sleep qualities were impaired in male patients with depression, as compared to healthy controls. We suggest that, consideration decline muscle strength in female patients with depression, and decreased aerobic exercise capacity in male patients with depression for exercise treatment planning, might be helpful to the development of more beneficial strategies for illness management.