Exploring the Interplay of Physical Activity, Depression, and Socioeconomic Status Among Women in the United States

Background: Depression is highly prevalent among women, posing a significant public health concern. While the beneficial effects of physical activity on depression reduction have been acknowledged, the influence of socioeconomic status (SES) on this relationship remains unclear. Methods: This study utilized cross-sectional data from 14,691 women from the 2007–2020 U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys, who were categorized into three SES groups using latent class analysis. Logistic regression analysis was employed to examine the relationship between physical activity and depression. Results: The analysis revealed that 11.5% of the participants experienced depression, with only 53.4% engaging in sufficient physical activity. Upon data weighting, the depression prevalence among physically inactive individuals was 12.64% (95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 11.58–13.70). Univariate logistic regression showed a negative correlation between adequate physical activity and depression in women (odds ratio [OR] = 0.64, 95% CI: 0.56–0.73, p < 0.001). Adjusting for SES or other confounders, sufficient physical activity remained associated with lower prevalence of depression (OR = 0.82, 95% CI: 0.69–0.97, p = 0.016). Stratification by SES indicated that adequate physical activity was associated with depression only among women with high SES (OR = 0.65, 95% CI: 0.50–0.86, p = 0.002) but not in middle or low SES. Conclusions: This study identified a negative association between physical activity and depression in women. Notably, only high SES women may derive benefits from physical activity, emphasizing the importance of addressing SES disparities to mitigate potential health inequalities.