Background: Antidepressant medication is one of the most prescribed medications among Canadians. This medication class has been previously associated with adverse effects. To date, far too little attention has been paid to physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviors (SB) in adults using antidepressant medication. The study aims to compare objectively measured time in PA and SB behaviors in a population-based sample of adults using antidepressant medication compared to a group of adults not using any psychotropic medication, and to investigate whether these behaviors differ according to four antidepressant classes. Methods: We used representative data from the Canadian Health Measures Survey (2007–2013). Medication use was documented during an in-house visit. PA and SB were measured by accelerometer. We included 7680 participants aged 18 to 79 years. A set of weighted analyses of covariance with adjustments for sex, age, body-mass index, income, education level, season, smoking and marital status was conducted to compare mean differences in PA and SB variables between adults using antidepressants and controls. Results: The cross-sectional weighted prevalence of antidepressant use was 9.3%. Adults using antidepressants completed significantly fewer minutes of moderate to vigorous PA and steps daily compared to adults without psychotropic medication. Daily time spent in light PA and SB were not significantly different between both groups. Limitations: The cross-sectional design of this study does not allow causal inferences.Conclusion: Results indicate that antidepressant users engage in less walking daily than those not using any psychotropic medication, therefore care providers should promote physical activity when prescribing antidepressants.
Antidepressant medication use and objectively measured physical activity and sedentary behaviors in adults: A cross-sectional analysis of a nationally representative sample of Canadian adults.
