The association of mental health with physical inactivity in Chinese adults over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic: a longitudinal study

Mental health was one of the challenges during the Covid-19 pandemic. Identifying factors affecting it can be effective in choosing the best interventions. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the associations between mental health with physical inactivity in Chinese adults during and post- pandemic. This longitudinal study was conducted in health centers of Hangzhou (May 2020 to September 2023) on 512 adults aged 18 to 64 years. Each participant received a self-completed questionnaire that consisted of three parts. The first part covered the basic characteristics of participants, including gender, age, annual income, and marital status. The second part was the 12-Item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) that reflects participants’ mental health status. The third part was the International Physical Activity Questionnaire – Short Version (IPAQ-SV) that assesses the metabolic equivalent (MET) of walking, moderate-intensity activities, and high-intensity activities. It also assesses daily screen time of the participants. One-way ANOVA and logistic regressions were used for data analysis (p < 0.05). The mental health score in 2023 was significantly lower than the mental health score in 2020 and 2021 (indicating the improvement of mental health in 2023) (p < 0.05). The physical activity level of adults in 2023 was significantly higher than physical activity in 2020, 2021, and 2022 (p < 0.05). In addition, physical activity in 2022 was significantly higher than physical activity in 2020 and 2021(p < 0.05). It seems that governments should pay attention to promoting physical activity and people’s income levels in order to benefit from their effects on mental health. Future studies can investigate the most cost-effective physical activity interventions that affect mental health.