Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41701718›Full record

ArticlePloS one2026

Interaction effects of sedentary behavior and depression on MAFLD in NHANES 2017-2020 and 2021-2023.

Wuqian Zhang, Yujing Wang, Qunyou Cong, Xiaoshun Tang, Zhe Wang, Zhirong Wang

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Article in PloS one, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Wuqian ZhangDepartment of Gastroenterology, Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Fudan University Pudong Medical Centre, Shanghai, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0009-7491-4837
Yujing WangSchool of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China.
Qunyou CongSchool of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China.
Xiaoshun TangSchool of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China.
Zhe WangSchool of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China.
Zhirong WangSchool of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMetabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), a disease closely associated with metabolic abnormalities (e.g., insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, elevated blood glucose, and obesity), has become a global public health challenge. This study explored the independent associations between sedentary behavior and depressive symptoms with MAFLD and analyzed the potential interactions between these two factors and the risk of MAFLD occurrence.

methodsThis cross-sectional study is based on data from two cycles of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2017 ~ 2020 and 2021 ~ 2023 and analyzes the relationships among depressive symptoms, sedentary behavior, potential confounding factors, and MAFLD. A multivariate logistic regression model was used in the present study, and different subgroups of sedentary behavior were analyzed to assess the associations among sedentary behavior, depression and MAFLD. In addition, the presence of additive interactions among these variables was assessed by calculating the relative excess risk due to interaction (RERI), attributable proportion due to interaction (AP), and synergy index (S).

resultsA total of 10,612 participants were included in this study (weighted sample size of 183,231,593), of whom 4,501 (weighted proportion of 42%) had MAFLD. Compared with participants with less daily sedentary time, those with more sedentary time had a greater risk of MAFLD (OR = 1.33, 95% CI: 1.08 ~ 1.64). We also found that, compared with individuals without depressive symptoms, individuals with depressive symptoms were significantly associated with an increased risk of MAFLD (OR = 1.26, 95% CI: 1.03 ~ 1.54). Furthermore, sedentary behavior significantly interacted with depression in overweight individuals, affecting the risk of MAFLD (relative excess risk (RERI) = 0.684, 95% CI: 0.312 ~ 1.057; attributable proportion (AP) = 0.360, 95% CI: 0.323 ~ 0.397; synergy index (S) = 1.623, 95% CI: 1.177 ~ 2.070). Poisson regression with 90% CI confirmed this interaction (RERI = 0.318, 90% CI: 0.036 ~ 0.600; AP = 0.223, 90% CI: 0.182 ~ 0.263; S=1.310, 90% CI: 1.000 ~ 1.620).

conclusionSedentary behavior and depression have a significant synergistic effect on MAFLD in overweight individuals. Therefore, improving individuals' psychological health status and reducing sedentary time may have positive effects on the prevention and treatment of MAFLD.

Indexed as

DepressionNon-alcoholic Fatty Liver DiseaseSedentary BehaviorAdultCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedNutrition SurveysRisk Factors

Identifiers

PMID41701718
PMCPMC12912620

What Socratic holds

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.