Dose–response relationship between sedentary time and anxiety and the moderating effect of a 10-min walk: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: The effectiveness and generalisability of conventional anxiety treatment programmes is low across the population, and it is important to explore the research evidence for preventing and improving anxiety from a physical activity perspective. This study examined sedentary activity's impact on anxiety, its dose-response relationship, and the interactive effects of 10-min walks and sedentary duration on anxiety. METHODS: A total of 28,977 individuals were chosen from the Chinese Psychological and Behavioural Study of the Population (PBICR) 2022. Binary logistic regression analyzed the association between sedentary time and anxiety and the interaction effect of daily 10-min walks and sedentary time on anxiety. Restricted cubic spline model explored the dose-response relationship between sedentary time and anxiety risk. RESULTS: Participants who were sedentary for > 6 h had a 25.1% increased risk of anxiety (OR = 1.251). Among those sedentary for > 6 h, each additional hour of sedentary time increased the risk of anxiety by 4.3%. However, for participants sedentary for ≤ 6 h, sedentary time did not increase the risk of anxiety. A non-linear J-shaped relationship between sedentary time and the risk of anxiety (non-linear trend p < 0.001). Among individuals who were sedentary for > 6 h, those who walked more than 10 min on ≤ 5 days per week had a 67.1% increased risk of anxiety (OR = 1.671), whereas those who walked more than 10 min on > 5 days per week experienced a 19% decreased risk of anxiety (OR = 0.810). For individuals sedentary for ≤ 6 h, each additional day of walking for > 10 min reduced the risk of anxiety by 9.8%. Among those sedentary for > 6 h, each additional day of walking for > 10 min reduced the risk of anxiety by 10.3%. CONCLUSIONS: A non-linear J-shaped relationship between sedentary time and anxiety risk. Walking for more than 10 min was associated with fewer negative effects of sedentary activity on anxiety. It is recommended that future empirical studies with a higher level of evidence be conducted to further confirm the effect of 10-min walking days on anxiety risk through empirical studies and to use specialized wearable devices to improve the accuracy of the measurements. By further exploring the effects of sedentary time and 10-min walking days on anxiety risk, the most effective treatment programs based on physical activity interventions can be established to reduce the prevalence of anxiety in the whole population.