Correlation between physical activity and the symptoms of depression in senior centers in Lima, Peru

Depression in the elderly is a growing problem, and exercise is a strategy to prevent it. We aim to identify the correlation between scores obtained in the Geriatric Depression Scale - 15 items (GDS-15) for depressive symptomatology and Metabolic equivalent of task (MET) obtained in the International Physical Activity Questionnaire - Short Form (IPAQ-S) for physical activity in aged attending senior centers in a district of Lima, Peru. We conducted a cross-sectional study in three senior centers in Miraflores, Lima, Peru. Participants (n=158) completed a three-part questionnaire, including a sociodemographic survey to collect general participant data, the GDS-15 to assess the level of depressive symptomatology, and the IPAQ-S to evaluate the amount of physical activity performed in the last week. A mild but significant inverse linear correlation was identified between the GDS-15 score and METs obtained in the IPAQ-S (rho=-0.213, p=0.007). Moderate to severe depressive symptomatology decreased with a higher level of physical activity: 4.3% low level, 3.3% moderate level, and no cases in those with vigorous activity; however, these differences were not significant (p=0.541, Kendall's Tau B test). CONCLUSIóN: The results showed that individuals with moderate to severe depressive symptoms show a lower level of depressive symptoms in relation to the degree of physical activity carried out in the last week.