Association between physical and mental health variables among software professionals working at home: a secondary analysis

The association of physical activity (PA) or sedentary behaviour (SB) with mental health in remotely working software professionals remains unclear. We administered a secondary analysis of physical health variables (PA and SB time during work and non-work days) and mental health variables (stress, anxiety, depression) from a primary study. Ninety-five per cent of the participants (n = 76) did not meet the global PA recommendations. Our study found daily PA time to be negatively associated with stress (β = −1.57; p = 0.02), anxiety (β = −1.01; p = 0.04) and depression (β = −0.68; p = 0.47). Furthermore, the average daily sitting time during the work day was found to be positively associated with stress (β = 0.28; p = 0.00), anxiety (β = 0.01; p = 0.04) and depression (β = −0.68; p = 0.03). Organizational policies should advocate the implementation of PA or SB strategies for improving mental health in remote workers. Trial registration: Clinical Trials Registry India identifier CTRI/2021/03/032146.