Does level of leisure time physical activity, in a sample of patients with depression, predict health care utilization over a subsequent 5-year period? Findings from a Finnish cohort study

Objectives: The main aim of this study was to investigate the association between leisure time physical activity (LTPA) and health care utilization (HCU) and furthermore, socio-demographic and clinical factors according to LTPA level among depressed patients based on data drawn from the Finnish Depression and Metabolic Syndrome in Adults (FDMSA)-study (2009-2016). Methods: 447 depressed patients aged 35-65 from municipalities within the Central Finland Hospital District participated in this study. Depressive symptoms (DS) were determined with the Beck Depression Inventory (a 10 points) and the psychiatric diagnosis confirmed with a diagnostic interview (M.I.N.I.). Severity of depression was evaluated using the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). LTPA was assessed using a self reported questionnaire. Use of health services was counted from participant's health care records. Results: Of the 447 depressed patients, 25% reported their LTPA level as low, 41% as moderate and 34% as high. Among depressed patients, higher levels of LTPA were linearly associated with lower BDI (p < 0.001), MADRS (p = 0.002), BMI (p = 0.005), triglyceride (p = 0.025) and higher HDL (p = 0.002) values. LTPA level was not related to health care utilization among depressed patients. The health services most used were physician services. Conclusions: According to this study, the level of LTPA in baseline does not predict the future use of health care services among depressed patients in Finnish adult population. Although higher levels of LTPA are positively associated with many health-related factors, promoting PA alone is not enough when aiming to manage and modify HCU among depressed patients.