Objective:
To examine associations of objectively-measured free-living physical activity (PA) with changes in depressive symptoms and mental and physical health-related quality of life (HRQoL) over 7 years after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery (RYGB).
Background:
The contributions of PA to improvements in mental and physical health after RYGB, independent of weight loss, are unclear.
Methods:
Adults undergoing RYGB in a US multi-center cohort study wore an activity monitor and completed the Beck depression inventory (BDI) and 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) annually ≤7 years (N = 646; 78% female, median age 47 years, median body mass index 46kg/m2). Linear mixed models estimated associations of quartiles of steps, sedentary behavior (SB), and moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA), respectively, with pre-to-post-surgery changes in the BDI and SF-36 mental component summary and physical component summary scores, respectively, over 1–7 years post-surgery, with adjustment for sex, age, race, pre-surgery
body mass index, the respective pre-surgery score, treatment for depression (time-varying) and pre-to-post-surgery weight change (time-varying).
Results:
There were dose-response associations between steps, SB (inverse) and MVPA quartiles, respectively, with improvements in each score. Across follow-up, mean improvements in the BDI, Mental Component Summary and physical component summary scores, were 1.9 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.0–2.8], 3.1 (95% CI, 1.5–4.7), and 4.0 (95% CI, 2.7–5.4) points higher, respectively, in the highest versus lowest steps quartile.
Conclusion:
Among adults who underwent RYGB, multiple objective PA measures were associated with decreases in depressive symptoms and improvements in mental and physical HRQoL throughout 7 years, independent of weight loss, indicating PA is a modifiable behavior to augment outcomes.
