Depression Leads to Physical Inactivity in Patients with Beta-Thalassemia Major

Beta-thalassemia major (BTM) is difficult to treat chronic disease, causing physical and psychological burdens for the patient. Several studies have confirmed a decrease in physical activity and depression in thalassemia patients, but limited studies examine the relationship between these two conditions. This study aims to analyze the relationship between depression and physical activity in BTM patients in Bandung city. It was analytical observational research with a cross-sectional design. Data were collected during September–December 2018 by interviewing 65 patients selected by simple random sampling from 300 thalassemia patients registered at the Association of Parents with Thalassemia Indonesia/Perhimpunan Orangtua Penderita Thalassemia Indonesia (POPTI) Bandung city. The instruments used were the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ) to measure physical activity and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) to assess depressive symptoms. Data were analyzed by chi-square test using SPSS for Windows ver. 23.0. The results showed that most BTM patients in Bandung city were depressed (52%) and had low physical activity levels (65%). Furthermore, there was a statistically significant relationship between depression and physical activity in thalassemia patients in Bandung city (p=0.04, p