Sex as a moderator of the association between cardiorespiratory fitness and depressive symptoms in older adults

The Journals of Gerontology Series B 2026 Open access

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Authors: Cristina Molina‐Hidalgo, Michelle A Villarroel, Lauren E. Oberlin, Rae Harrison, Anna L. Marsland, Carla Urdaneta, Haiqing Huang, Shivangi Jain, Lu Wan, Audrey M. Collins, Melanie Mack, George Grove
+9 more Arthur F. Kramer, Charles H. Hillman, John M. Jakicic, Eric D. Vidoni, Jeffrey Murray Burns, Edward McAuley, Chaeryon Kang, Swathi Gujral, Kirk I. Erickson
DOI: 10.1093/geronb/gbag013
Cited by: 0
References: 27

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: The study investigates sex differences in how cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and accelerometry-based physical activity (PA) relate to depressive symptoms in community-dwelling older adults. We hypothesized that the relationship between higher CRF and PA levels with lower depressive symptoms would be more prominent in women relative to men. METHODS: Participants included 648 community-dwelling adults aged 65-80 (71% women [n = 461]; mean age [SD] = 69.88 [3.75]) without evidence of clinical depression (Geriatric Depression Scale score

Fields of Study & Subjects

Physical Activity and Health Aging Health and Disability Cardiovascular and exercise physiology

Publication details

Journal / source
The Journals of Gerontology Series B
Volume
81
Issue
4
Publication date
2 February 2026
Language
EN