Background
Recently, the “weekend warrior” pattern, characterized by meeting recommended physical activity (PA) guidelines within one or two weekly sessions, has received increasing attention. However, its association with mental health outcomes remains unclear. This study aimed to examine the relationship between PA patterns and depressive symptoms.
Methods
This study analyzed data from 26,424 adults from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted in 2014, 2016, 2018, 2020, and 2022. PA was assessed by a self-reported questionnaire and classified according to World Health Organization guidelines for moderate-to-vigorous PA. Participants were categorized as inactive (<150 min/ wk), weekend warriors (≥150 min/wk over 1–2 days), or regularly active (≥150 min/wk over ≥3 days). Depressive symptoms were defined as a Patient Health Questionnaire-9 score ≥5. Associations were examined using multivariable logistic regression, stratified by sex and age.
Results
Prevalence of depressive symptoms among participants was 19.3%. The weekend warrior PA pattern was not significantly associated with depressive symptoms. Contrarily, the regularly active PA pattern was inversely associated with depressive symptoms (odds ratio [OR], 0.72; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.66–0.79); this association remained significant after multivariable adjustment (OR, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.74–0.89). In stratified analyses by sex and age group, the regularly active group consistently showed an inverse association with depressive symptoms, whereas no significant association was observed for the weekend warrior PA pattern.
Conclusion
Regularity of physical activity may be more important for mental health than total activity volume alone.

Background
Although breakfast provides essential nutrients and energy, skipping this meal has become increasingly common among young adults in Korea. In this study, we examine the relationship between breakfast consumption and body composition.
Methods
We analyzed data from 17,763 students aged 18–39 at Seoul National University (2018–2022). Participants were categorized based on their breakfast frequency: non-skippers, 1 to 3-day skippers, and 4 to 7-day skippers. Measurements included body mass index, waist circumference, body fat percentage, fat mass index (FMI), fat-free mass index (FFMI), and skeletal muscle mass index (SMI). Multivariable logistic and linear regression models adjusted for age, sex, alcohol use, smoking, physical activity, sleep, and food consumption frequencies were used.
Results
Obesity (17.4% vs. 14.8%) and abdominal obesity (10.0% vs. 7.8%) were higher in those skipping breakfast 4 to 7 d/wk compared with non-skippers. Skipping breakfast was not significantly associated with abdominal obesity in either sex. In women, the odds of obesity were higher (odds ratio, 1.57; 95% confidence interval, 1.14–2.15; P=0.006), whereas no significant difference was observed in men. Men who skipped breakfast had increased body fat percentage (coefficient, 0.87; P<0.001) and FMI (coefficient, 0.18; P=0.009) and decreased FFMI and SMI. Women showed increased body fat percentage (coefficient, 0.92; P<0.001) and FMI but no significant differences in FFMI or SMI.
Conclusion
Skipping breakfast adversely affects body composition by increasing body fat percentage and FMI. Further research is needed to confirm these findings and explore the underlying mechanisms.

Citations

• A year of significant progress for the Korean Journal of Family Medicine
  Seung-Won Oh
  Korean Journal of Family Medicine.2026; 47(1): 1.     CrossRef
• Cumulative circadian disruption factors and metabolic syndrome
  Jungun Lee
  Korean Journal of Family Medicine.2025; 46(3): 125.     CrossRef