Anxiety and physical inactivity: breaking the vicious circle
Intended for healthcare professionals
Evidence & Practice Previous     Next

Anxiety and physical inactivity: breaking the vicious circle

Jeongok Logan Assistant professor, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, United States
Suk-Sun Kim Professor, College of Nursing, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
Mijung Lee Graduate student, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, United States
SeonAn Yeo Professor, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States

Background Worldwide levels of anxiety have increased significantly over the past few decades. Persistent or excessive anxiety can cause distress and decrease quality of life.

Aim To explore the relationship between trait anxiety and physical activity levels and the effect of 30 minutes of stretching exercise on state anxiety.

Methods A total of 33 healthy female participants, over the age of 30, performed 30 minutes of stretching exercise. Participants completed the state-trait anxiety inventory before and after exercise as well as the rapid assessment of physical activity scale.

Results Trait anxiety was negatively related to physical activity levels. There was a significant decrease in the level of state anxiety after a single episode of stretching exercise.

Conclusion The results highlight the potential use of stretching exercise to alleviate anxiety and to promote physical activity in people whose lives are predominantly sedentary or who are physically inactive.

Mental Health Practice. 21, 6, 15-19. doi: 10.7748/mhp.2018.e1267

Correspondence

suksunkim@ewha.ac.kr

Peer review

This article has been subject to external double-blind peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software

Conflict of interest

None declared

Write for us

For information about writing for RCNi journals, contact writeforus@rcni.com

For author guidelines, go to rcni.com/writeforus

Received: 18 May 2017

Accepted: 15 August 2017

Want to read more?

RCNi-Plus
Already have access? Log in

or

3-month trial offer for £5.25/month

Subscribe today and save 50% on your first three months
RCNi Plus users have full access to the following benefits:
  • Unlimited access to all 10 RCNi Journals
  • RCNi Learning featuring over 175 modules to easily earn CPD time
  • NMC-compliant RCNi Revalidation Portfolio to stay on track with your progress
  • Personalised newsletters tailored to your interests
  • A customisable dashboard with over 200 topics
Subscribe

Alternatively, you can purchase access to this article for the next seven days. Buy now


Are you a student? Our student subscription has content especially for you.
Find out more