Age-varying associations between physical activity and psychological outcomes among rural cancer survivors

We examined the prevalence of psychological outcomes (i.e., symptoms of depression and anxiety) by age and age-varying associations between physical activity and psychological outcomes among rural cancer survivors. Participants (N = 219; ages 22–93) completed sociodemographic, psychological, and physical activity questionnaires. Time-varying effect models estimated the prevalence of psychological outcomes and assessed associations between physical activity and psychological outcomes as a flexible function of age. Depression and anxiety symptoms decreased with age among cancer survivors aged 22–40 years and were relatively stable across age among those > 40 years. Positive associations between vigorous physical activity and psychological outcomes in those aged 22–40 years were identified. In those > 70–80 years, there were negative associations between vigorous physical activity and psychological outcomes. Results suggest there is variation across age in the associations between physical activity and psychological outcomes among rural survivors. Future research should further explore these age-varying relationships to identify important intervention targets.