Association between exercise variations and depressive symptoms among precarious employees in South Korea

Research regarding the association between depression and exercise has been limited regarding precariously employed individuals. The current study investigated the association between exercise variations and depressive symptoms among precarious employees in South Korea. Data from the 2014, 2016, and 2018 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) were analyzed. In total, 13,080 participants aged ≥ 19 years responded to the survey. The Korean version of the PHQ-9 was utilized in addition to questions assessing regular exercise. Precariously employed men engaging in two or more variations of exercise each week were significantly less likely to report depressive symptoms (adjusted (OR): 0.78; 95% CI 0.62–0.97; p = 0.025), and the likelihood of depression was also lower for women who engaged in one or more forms of exercise (adjusted OR: 0.82; 95% CI 0.71–0.94; p = 0.006). These findings support the association between depression and exercise and suggest that greater variations in regular exercise are associated with a reduction in depression for men whereas any form of exercise reduces the risk of depression in women.