Abstract
BACKGROUND: Women are more prone to develop mental disorders as compared to men and the role of physical activities to reduce its burden by improving self-esteem is appreciable. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of lifestyle interventions to reduce depression, anxiety and stress among women in urban slums. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was a non-randomized controlled trial carried out in two slums of Bhubaneswar in married women of reproductive age group (15 years-49 years) from June 2019 to September 2021 after approval from the institutional ethics committee. A total of 128 married women were recruited, 64 women in each arm. DASS-21 was used for assessing depression, anxiety, and stress of all participants. The lifestyle intervention program was provided to 64 women in the intervention group and educational materials were provided to the control arm. DASS score was assessed again and compared with follow-up scores in both groups. Descriptive statistics were expressed as frequency, mean, median, and standard deviations. Independent t-test and paired t-tests were done where applicable. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in socio-demographic factors and DASS-21 scores in both groups during baseline. Depression, Anxiety, and stress score were significantly lower in the intervention arm than control arm in the follow-up (P < 0.05). There was a significant difference between the pre-intervention and post-intervention levels of depression, anxiety, and stress among the intervention group (P = 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Simple community-based physical activities as in our intervention program focusing on the reduction of depression, anxiety, and stress levels in women may prevent the rising problems of common mental disorders.