Background: Earlier studies have proposed the effect of education level and sedentary behavior (SB) on the incidence of depression in adults. However, the association between the combination of education level and SB and depression in adults has not yet been investigated.
Methods: This study population consisted of US adults (aged ≥18 years) who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2007 to 2018. A multivariable logistic regression model was employed to assess the association between education level, SB, and depression.
Results: Of the 29,822 participants (weighted mean [SE] age, 47.9[0.2] years; 51.2% male) in our study cohort. Depression was negatively linked to the higher education level (adjusted OR = 0.68 [95% CI: 0.57-0.81], Model 4) and positively correlated to higher SB (adjusted OR = 1.58 [95% CI: 1.34-1.87]). The ORs [95% CIs] for depression were 1.40 [1.13-1.74], 1.68 [1.20-2.35], and 1.78 [1.42-2.22], respectively, among lower education groups sitting < 6 h a day (h/d), 6-8 h/d and ≥ 8 h/d compared with higher education/ sitting < 6 h/d groups (Model 3). Among participants with higher education, those who engaged in SB ≥ 8 h/d had a 1.53-fold [95% CI, 1.31-1.79] increased risk of depression compared with those who sat for <6 h/d (p < 0.0001; Model 4).
Conclusions: A lower education level and prolonged SB are independently and jointly associated with an increased risk of depression. Interventions that aim to reduce SB, especially among those with lower educational levels and also among those with higher educational levels who sit for more than 8 h per day, may help reduce the prevalence of depression.
Keywords: NHANES; depression; education level; sedentary behavior.
© 2025 The Author(s). Brain and Behavior published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.
