Physical activity and depression during the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria: does age and gender make a difference?

Abstract Background There is overwhelming evidence indicating that depression may be reduced by physical activity (PA), but studies in lower- and middle-income countries and those that involved data at higher physical activity doses were underrepresented. The current study investigated the associations between PA levels (vigorous, moderate, walking and sitting) and depression and tested whether age and gender moderate the link between PA and depression during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method The participants were 857 adults (51.0% women; aged 18–69, mean age = 29.71, SD = 10.84 years) who completed an online survey as part of the General Health, Speech and Physical Activity Relationship Assessment Study in Nigeria. Physical activity was assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) short form, while depression was measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). Results The results of the Hayes PROCESS macro indicated that those who engaged in vigorous PA reported lower levels of depression (B = − 0.02, p