Depression and Physical activity among cardiac patients undergone cardiac events: a correlational study

Objective: To assess prevalence of depression and its relationship with physical activity among individuals who have experienced a cardiac event. Methods: This descriptive study involved 196 cardiac patients receiving treatment at selected cardiac hospitals of Punjab (India). Subjects were chosen using purposive sampling technique. After getting informed written consents from the participants the data was collected using International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) and Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II). Results: The results showed that majority (62.2%) of the cardiac patients had moderate clinical depression and 11.2% of patients had severe depression. 86.7% of the patients had low level of physical activity (<600 MET min/week). There was also a significant negative correlation between the depression and physical activity depicting the higher the physical activity, lower was the depression score and vice-versa (p<0.05). Moreover, study results revealed that physical activity was significantly associated with age and educational status; whereas, depression was not associated with selected demographic variables. Conclusion: The current investigation has brought to light that a vast majority of individuals suffering from cardiac issues exhibited signs of moderate to severe depressive symptoms. Additionally, the findings indicate an inverse relationship between depression and physical activity. Consequently, it is crucial for nurses to concentrate on identifying early indicators of depression and physical inactivity so that individualized care plans can be developed to enhance the overall health of cardiac patients.