Zhao QR, Xie L, Li B, Zhao XY, Yang SN, Yang Y, Dong L, Wang Q. Differential impacts of job-related vs leisure-related physical activity on depressive and cognitive function among middle-aged and elderly adults. World J Psychiatry 2026; 16(2): 112235 [DOI: 10.5498/wjp.v16.i2.112235]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Qian Wang, PhD, The Second Department of General Geriatrics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, No. 1 Jianshe East Road, Erqi District, Zhengzhou 450052, Henan Province, China. qiansmile320@126.com
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Geriatrics & Gerontology
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Retrospective Cohort Study
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This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Feb 19, 2026 (publication date) through Feb 2, 2026
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World Journal of Psychiatry
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Zhao QR, Xie L, Li B, Zhao XY, Yang SN, Yang Y, Dong L, Wang Q. Differential impacts of job-related vs leisure-related physical activity on depressive and cognitive function among middle-aged and elderly adults. World J Psychiatry 2026; 16(2): 112235 [DOI: 10.5498/wjp.v16.i2.112235]
World J Psychiatry. Feb 19, 2026; 16(2): 112235 Published online Feb 19, 2026. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v16.i2.112235
Differential impacts of job-related vs leisure-related physical activity on depressive and cognitive function among middle-aged and elderly adults
Qian-Ru Zhao, Li Xie, Bing Li, Xiang-Ya Zhao, Sheng-Nan Yang, Yi Yang, Ling Dong, Qian Wang
Qian-Ru Zhao, Bing Li, Xiang-Ya Zhao, Sheng-Nan Yang, Yi Yang, Ling Dong, Qian Wang, The Second Department of General Geriatrics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450052, Henan Province, China
Li Xie, School of Management, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450052, Henan Province, China
Author contributions: Zhao QR, Li B, Yang Y, and Wang Q were responsible for research design; Xie L, Li B, and Zhao XY were responsible for conducting experiments; Zhao QR, Zhao XY, and Yang Y were responsible for data acquisition; Xie L, Yang SN, and Dong L were responsible for data analysis; Yang SN, Dong L, and Wang Q were responsible for manuscript writing. All authors have contributed to the completion of this paper.
Institutional review board statement: The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University.
Informed consent statement: The informed consent was waived by the Institutional Review Board of the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
STROBE statement: The authors have read the STROBE Statement-checklist of items, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the STROBE Statement-checklist of items.
Data sharing statement: The publicly available datasets used in this study can be found at http://charls.pku.edu.cn/en.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Qian Wang, PhD, The Second Department of General Geriatrics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, No. 1 Jianshe East Road, Erqi District, Zhengzhou 450052, Henan Province, China. qiansmile320@126.com
Received: July 22, 2025 Revised: August 11, 2025 Accepted: November 14, 2025 Published online: February 19, 2026 Processing time: 192 Days and 22.4 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND
While several studies have explored the relationship among physical activity (PA), depressive symptoms, and cognitive health, the distinct effects of PA performed for occupational vs recreational purposes remain underexplored.
AIM
To investigate the differential impacts of job-related vs leisure-related physical activities on depressive symptoms and cognitive function among adults aged 45 years and older in China.
METHODS
Data were extracted from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study, encompassing 16476 participants. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the 10-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, and cognitive function was evaluated using the Mini-Mental State Examination. PA was categorized by purpose (job-related vs leisure-related) and intensity (vigorous, moderate, and low), with frequency and duration measured in metabolic equivalent hours per day. An external validation using an independent clinical sample (n = 200) was conducted.
RESULTS
Vigorous-intensity PA for job demands (JVPA) was significantly associated with increased depressive symptoms [P = 0.011, odds ratio (OR) = 1.003], indicating that high-intensity job-related activities may exacerbate mental health issues. Moderate-intensity PA for entertainment or exercise (EMPA) was inversely associated with depressive symptoms (P = 0.030, OR = 0.999), suggesting that moderate-intensity leisure activities can reduce depressive symptoms. For cognitive function, the total PA for job demands was correlated with cognitive decline (P = 0.004, OR = 1.008), with the frequency of JVPA showing a positive association. However, EMPA was linked to reduced cognitive decline (P = 0.018, OR = 0.998). Clinical validation results were consistent with those obtained from the database, further supporting the reliability of the findings.
CONCLUSION
JVPA exacerbates depressive symptoms and cognitive impairment, whereas EMPA mitigates depression and supports cognitive health. Targeted interventions promoting leisure-related PA may enhance mental and cognitive well-being in older adults.
Core Tip: This study investigates the differential impacts of job-related vs leisure-related physical activities (PA) on depressive symptoms and cognitive function among middle-aged and elderly adults in China, using data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study. Key findings indicate that vigorous-intensity PA for job demands exacerbates depressive symptoms and cognitive decline, while moderate-intensity PA for entertainment reduces depressive symptoms and supports cognitive health. These results highlight the importance of promoting leisure-based PA to enhance mental well-being and cognitive outcomes in aging populations, suggesting targeted interventions could be beneficial.
