The DOI matches its Crossref record; 183 of the 192 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; 13 of the 31 sources its claims cite were checked for support.
Domain-Specific Physical Activity and Mental Health: A Meta-analysis
Open accessAbstract
Context The mental health benefits of physical activity are well established. However, less is known about whether the relationship between physical activity and mental health is consistent across different life domains. It is important to understand how context may influence the relationship between physical activity and mental health so that interventions and policy guidelines can be tailored to maximize positive effects. Evidence acquisition In 2015, systematic searches of four databases identified 13,435 records, of which 98 studies met the inclusion criteria. Evidence synthesis Included studies were published between 1988 and 2015 and had a combined sample size of 648,726. Of the 98 included studies, 93 examined leisure-time physical activity, 14 examined work-related physical activity, 15 examined transport physical activity, 16 examined household physical activity, three examined school sport, and three examined physical education. Multi-level meta-analyses showed that leisure-time physical activity (r =0.13) and transport physical activity (r =0.13) both had a positive association with mental health. Leisure-time physical activity (r = -0.11) and school sport (r = -0.09) both had an inverse association with mental ill-health. However, physical activity was not consistently associated with lower mental ill-health across domains, as work-related physical activity was positively associated with mental ill-health (r =0.09). Household physical activity and participation in…
Overview
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Verification
Claims the paper makes
36 Own result · 10 Own method · 9 Partly supported · 9 Own interpretation · 8 No full text of the sources · 3 No basis given · 1 Supported · 1 Supported so far · 1 Sources not found · accuracy not yet measured
The cited sources support only part of this claim — read each source’s verdict below.
In the paper
“Further, evidence also shows that exercise involving choice is associated with increased positive affect and enjoyment, compared to exercise with no choice.[62][63][64]”
§ Domain-specific physical activity and mental health: A meta-analysis > Discussion
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites [62] Parfitt, 2006, The psychological and physiological responses of sedentary individuals to prescribed and preferred intensity exercise, Br J Health Psychol source
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites [63] Vazou-Ekkekakis, 2009, Affective consequences of imposing the intensity of physical activity: does the loss of perceived autonomy matter, Hellenic Journal of Psychology
- Partly supportedcites [64] Lubans, 2016, Mediators of psychological well-being in adolescent boys, J Adolesc Health sourceExperimental — accuracy not yet measured
The Discussion reports that opportunities for choice in school sport mediated the intervention’s effect on psychological well-being, supporting a link between choice and well-being. But the Outcome measures section identifies flourishing—not positive affect or enjoyment—as the outcome, and the Discussion says effects on hedonic well-being were not captured. The paper does not establish the claimed increase in positive affect and enjoyment compared with exercise offering no choice. (LLM, conf=0.87)
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
The cited sources support only part of this claim — read each source’s verdict below.
In the paper
“Evidence supports a number of psychosocial mechanisms that explain the effect of PA on mental health; however, there is little understanding as to whether these mechanisms play the same role in different PA domains.22”
§ Domain-specific physical activity and mental health: A meta-analysis > Discussion
What the sources say
- Partly supportedcites [22] Lubans, 2016, Physical activity for cognitive and mental health in youth: A systematic review of mechanisms, Pediatrics sourceExperimental — accuracy not yet measured
The Psychosocial mechanisms section (p. 17) reports evidence linking improved physical self-perceptions with well-being, including one study in which changes in self-perceptions partially mediated reduced depressive symptoms. But the Conclusion (p. 21) says evidence for the specific mechanisms remains limited, so the claim overstates how firmly a number of psychosocial mechanisms have been shown to explain the effect. (LLM, conf=0.87)
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
- Partly supported
The cited sources support only part of this claim — read each source’s verdict below.
In the paper
“While this result is plausible given that mental health and mental ill-health are not always negatively correlated, 65 it demonstrates that workrelated PA is associated with mental health for some people and mental ill-health for others.”
§ Domain-specific physical activity and mental health: A meta-analysis > Discussion
What the sources say
- Partly supportedcites [65] Keyes, 2005, Mental illness and/or mental health? Investigating axioms of the complete state model of health, J Consult Clin Psychol sourceExperimental — accuracy not yet measured
The Discussion (p. 8) says mental health and mental illness are distinct, correlated axes, so they are not invariably opposites for individuals. But the Results (p. 6) report a negative correlation of −.53; the paper does not show that their correlation is sometimes nonnegative. (LLM, conf=0.84)
hedgedcorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
- Partly supported
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Household PA, school sport, and physical education are not significantly associated with mental health.”
§ Domain-specific physical activity and mental health: A meta-analysis > Effect Sizes, Heterogeneity, and Moderator Analyses
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“leisure-time physical activity (r = .13)and transport physical activity (r = .13)both have a positive association with mental health.”
- Also stated in: § Effect Sizes, Heterogeneity, and Moderator Analyses · plain
“Leisure-time PA has a weak positive association with mental health and the effect size is not significantly moderated by the mental health outcome, sex, age, study design, PA measure, or risk of bias.”
§ Domain-specific physical activity and mental health: A meta-analysis > Abstract
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
- Also stated in: § Effect Sizes, Heterogeneity, and Moderator Analyses · plain
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“transport physical activity (r = .13)both have a positive association with mental health.”
- Also stated in: § Effect Sizes, Heterogeneity, and Moderator Analyses · plain
“Transport PA also has a weak positive association with mental health, but the CI is much wider when compared to leisure-time PA.”
§ Domain-specific physical activity and mental health: A meta-analysis > Abstract
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
- Also stated in: § Effect Sizes, Heterogeneity, and Moderator Analyses · plain
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Physical activity domain does not significantly moderate the relationship between PA and mental health (p = .59),as work-related PA (β = -.03),household PA (β = -.03),school sport (β = -.03), and physical education (β = -.03) are all non-significant (p > .05)negative predictor coefficients, compared to leisure-time.”
§ Domain-specific physical activity and mental health: A meta-analysis > Effect Sizes, Heterogeneity, and Moderator Analyses
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Transport PA, household PA, and physical education have no significant association with mental ill-health.”
- Also stated in: § Abstract · plain
“Household physical activity and participation in physical education had no relationship with mental health or mental ill-health.”
§ Domain-specific physical activity and mental health: A meta-analysis > Effect Sizes, Heterogeneity, and Moderator Analyses
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
- Also stated in: § Abstract · plain
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Physical activity has a weak negative association with mental ill-health (r = -.09,95% CI = -.13,-.04, p < .001).”
§ Domain-specific physical activity and mental health: A meta-analysis > Effect Sizes, Heterogeneity, and Moderator Analyses
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Household PA, school sport, and physical education are not significantly associated with mental health.”
- Also stated in: § Abstract · plain
“Household physical activity and participation in physical education had no relationship with mental health or mental ill-health.”
§ Domain-specific physical activity and mental health: A meta-analysis > Effect Sizes, Heterogeneity, and Moderator Analyses
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
- Also stated in: § Abstract · plain
- It may state two separate claims as one. 21
- Probably not a substantial claim. 15
The cited sources support only part of this claim — read each source’s verdict below.
In the paper
“Alternatively, work-related PA is likely to be viewed as a compulsory task and may be enforced by another person or only carried out for the purpose of receiving an external reward (i.e., pay).13”
§ Domain-specific physical activity and mental health: A meta-analysis > Discussion
What the sources say
- Partly supportedcites [13] Asztalos, 2009, Specific associations between types of physical activity and components of mental health, J Sci Med Sport sourceExperimental — accuracy not yet measured
The Discussion (page unavailable) says active transportation can involve some compulsion: getting to work is “a must,” and economic reasons may motivate biking to work. It does not say that work-related physical activity is enforced by another person or undertaken for pay; its example concerns commuting rather than physical activity performed at work. (LLM, conf=0.86)
hedged- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
- Partly supported
Every source the paper cites for this claim was checked and supports it.
In the paper
“Initial agreement between the two reviewers was 90% and the kappa coefficient (κ = .81)indicated strong agreement.48 Upon discussion 100% agreement was achieved.”
§ Domain-specific physical activity and mental health: A meta-analysis > Risk of Bias
What the sources say
- Supportedcites [48] McHugh, 2012, Interrater reliability: The kappa statistic, Biochemia Medica source
The citation follows the interpretation of κ = .81, not the reviewers’ reported results. In “Theoretical issues in measurement of rater reliability,” McHugh places κ values of .81–1.00 in the “almost perfect agreement” range, supporting the description of .81 as strong agreement. The 90% initial and 100% post-discussion agreement figures are the citing authors’ own results, not findings attributed to McHugh. (LLM, conf=0.91)
boosted- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.
- Supported
The sources with a verdict support this claim; the rest weren’t checked yet, have no full text we could read, or their verdicts aren’t rated yet.
In the paper
“Six criterion were adapted from the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) statement 42 and the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) statement to assess risk of bias of individual studies.43”
- Also stated in: § Risk of Bias of Individual Studies · plain
“Two reviewers independently assigned a 1 (present and explicitly explained) or a 0 (absent or inadequately described) to each included study on each criterion”
§ Domain-specific physical activity and mental health: A meta-analysis > Risk of Bias of Individual Studies
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites [42] Von Elm, 2007, The Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) statement: guidelines for reporting observational studies, Prev Med source
- Supportedcites [43] Moher, 2001, The CONSORT statement: revised recommendations for improving the quality of reports of parallel group randomized trials, BMC Med Res Methodol source
The Abstract identifies this paper as the revised CONSORT statement and describes its checklist for reporting randomized trials. It also says checklist items were selected in part because missing information is associated with biased estimates of treatment effect. The citing sentence attributes the six-criterion adaptation to its own authors, not to CONSORT. (LLM, conf=0.90)
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.
- Also stated in: § Risk of Bias of Individual Studies · plain
The cited sources support only part of this claim — read each source’s verdict below.
In the paper
“For example, PA enhances self-efficacy and exposes individuals to challenges that offer opportunities to develop confidence and a sense of mastery.51,52”
§ Domain-specific physical activity and mental health: A meta-analysis > Discussion
What the sources say
- Partly supportedcites [51] Craft, 2004, The benefits of exercise for the clinically depressed, Prim Care Companion J Clin Psychiatry sourceExperimental — accuracy not yet measured
The Self-Efficacy Hypothesis section suggests that exercise may enhance self-efficacy by providing a meaningful mastery experience, which supports the confidence-and-mastery idea. But it describes findings on generalized self-efficacy in clinically depressed people as equivocal, so the citing sentence states the enhancement more definitively than the source does. Page numbers were not provided in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.85)
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites [52] Paluska, 2000, Physical activity and mental health, Sports Med source
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
- Partly supported
The cited sources support only part of this claim — read each source’s verdict below.
In the paper
“While this result is plausible given that mental health and mental ill-health are not always negatively correlated, 65 it demonstrates that workrelated PA is associated with mental health for some people and mental ill-health for others.”
§ Domain-specific physical activity and mental health: A meta-analysis > Discussion
What the sources say
- Partly supportedcites [65] Keyes, 2005, Mental illness and/or mental health? Investigating axioms of the complete state model of health, J Consult Clin Psychol sourceExperimental — accuracy not yet measured
The citation is attached to the rationale about mental health and mental ill-health, not to the citing authors’ finding about work-related physical activity. The Discussion (p. 8) says mental health and mental illness are distinct rather than opposite ends of one continuum, but the Results (p. 6) report a negative correlation of −.53 between them. The source therefore supports their not being exact opposites, but not a claim that they are uncorrelated or non-negatively correlated. (LLM, conf=0.82)
boostedcorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
- Partly supported
The cited sources support only part of this claim — read each source’s verdict below.
In the paper
“Further, a number of individual studies have shown that leisure-time PA has a stronger relationship with mental health and mental illhealth, compared to work-related PA, transport PA, and household PA. [13][14][15]”
§ Domain-specific physical activity and mental health: A meta-analysis > Context
What the sources say
- Partly supportedcites [13] Asztalos, 2009, Specific associations between types of physical activity and components of mental health, J Sci Med Sport sourceExperimental — accuracy not yet measured
The Discussion reports that sports participation, unlike the other activity types studied, was consistently associated with less stress and psychological distress. But the Methods distinguish sports from leisure active transportation, and the study measured commuting activity rather than physical activity performed at work. The finding therefore supports a narrower comparison than the claim's broad leisure-time versus work-related, transport, and household comparison. (LLM, conf=0.87)
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites [14] Kull, 2012, Relationship between low depressiveness and domain specific physical activity in women, Health Care Woman Int source
- Partly supportedcites [15] Ohta, 2007, Effect of the physical activities in leisure time and commuting to work on mental health, J Occup Health sourceExperimental — accuracy not yet measured
The Results (p. 3) report that greater leisure-time exercise was associated with lower GHQ scores in men, supporting a relationship with mental health. They also report an association for walking or cycling to work in men; the paper does not establish that the leisure-time relationship was stronger, and its stated scope (p. 2) does not include household or work-related physical activity. (LLM, conf=0.88)
boostedcorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim.
- Partly supported
The cited sources support only part of this claim — read each source’s verdict below.
In the paper
“Furthermore, Asztalos reported that transport PA was associated with increased stress among blue collar workers but not among white collar workers.13”
§ Domain-specific physical activity and mental health: A meta-analysis > Discussion
What the sources say
- Partly supportedcites [13] Asztalos, 2009, Specific associations between types of physical activity and components of mental health, J Sci Med Sport sourceExperimental — accuracy not yet measured
The Results report an association between biking to and from work and more stress specifically in men with blue-collar jobs, not blue-collar workers generally or transport physical activity as a whole. The Discussion says the only significant association among people with white-collar jobs concerned housework and distress, which supports the absence of a reported transport–stress association in that group. (LLM, conf=0.88)
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.
- Partly supported
The cited sources support only part of this claim — read each source’s verdict below.
In the paper
“Systematic reviews have shown that physical activity (PA) is associated with greater mental health, 6 and a reduced risk of mental ill-health, specifically depression and anxiety.7,8”
§ Domain-specific physical activity and mental health: A meta-analysis > Context
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites [6] Bize, 2007, Physical activity level and health-related quality of life in the general adult population: a systematic review, Prev Med source
- Partly supportedcites [7] Biddle, 2011, Physical activity and mental health in children and adolescents: a review of reviews, Br J Sports Med sourceExperimental — accuracy not yet measured
The Abstract reports potentially beneficial effects on depression and a small beneficial effect on anxiety, and the Overall Conclusions say physically active young people appear less likely to have mental health problems. But the review concerns children and adolescents, not people generally, and describes the evidence for depression as weak and for anxiety as limited. (LLM, conf=0.83)
- Supportedcites [8] Janssen, 2010, Systematic review of the health benefits of physical activity and fitness in school-aged children and youth, Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act source
The cited review treats depression as a measure of mental health (Methods > Eligibility criteria) and reports improvements in depressive symptoms in all three exercise trials it reviewed (Results > Depression). This supports the portion attached to citation 6—an association between physical activity and better mental health—in school-aged children and youth. The separate claim about reduced risk of depression and anxiety is attached to citations 7 and 8, not this source. (LLM, conf=0.86)
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. It may state two separate claims as one.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Overall, PA domain significantly moderates the strength of the relationship between PA and mental ill-health (p < .001)and explains 46% of the variance.”
§ Domain-specific physical activity and mental health: A meta-analysis > Effect Sizes, Heterogeneity, and Moderator Analyses
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“In contrast, work-related PA has a weak positive association with mental ill-health and age is a significant predictor (p = .03)as the association is larger among adults (r = .10)than adolescents (r = .01),but this only explains 13% of the variance.”
§ Domain-specific physical activity and mental health: A meta-analysis > Effect Sizes, Heterogeneity, and Moderator Analyses
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Nineteen percent of studies have a high risk of bias and 59% have a moderate risk of bias, while only 18% have a low risk of bias.”
§ Domain-specific physical activity and mental health: A meta-analysis > Risk of Bias
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Interestingly, work-related PA was positively associated with mental health as well as mental ill-health.”
§ Domain-specific physical activity and mental health: A meta-analysis > Discussion
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Further, age is a significant moderator (p = .002)and explains 89% of the variance, as work-related PA is only positively associated with mental health in the one study examining adults >65 years (r = .37).”
§ Domain-specific physical activity and mental health: A meta-analysis > Effect Sizes, Heterogeneity, and Moderator Analyses
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
The paper states this without a source or data behind it here, so there is nothing to check it against. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“While transport PA is positively associated with mental health among adults, no such relationship was found for adolescents.”
§ Domain-specific physical activity and mental health: A meta-analysis > Discussion
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“The purpose of the trip (e.g., walking to work, walking during leisure-time) is the only significant moderator (p = .01)and explains majority of the variation in effect sizes (R² = 76%).”
§ Domain-specific physical activity and mental health: A meta-analysis > Effect Sizes, Heterogeneity, and Moderator Analyses
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
What the paper did — it cites no source for this, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Firstly, 98% of the included studies were observational, the majority of which were cross-sectional.”
§ Domain-specific physical activity and mental health: A meta-analysis > Discussion
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“The methods detailed below were conducted in accordance with the 'Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis' (PRISMA) statement.16”
§ Domain-specific physical activity and mental health: A meta-analysis > Evidence Acquisition
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites [16] Moher, 2009, Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses: The PRISMA statement, Ann Intern Med source
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
What the paper did — it cites no source for this, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Two reviewers independently assessed the title and abstract of each study and records recommended for exclusion by both reviewers were excluded.”
- Also stated in: § Study Selection · plain
“Discrepancies were resolved by discussion between the two reviewers, along with a third reviewer, until consensus was reached.”
§ Domain-specific physical activity and mental health: A meta-analysis > Study Selection
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.
- Also stated in: § Study Selection · plain
In the paper
“Choosing to participate for enjoyment is central to autonomous motivation.58”
§ Domain-specific physical activity and mental health: A meta-analysis > Discussion
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites [58] Ryan, 2000, Intrinsic and extrinsic motivations: Classic definitions and new directions, Contemp Educ Psychol source
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“This finding suggests that PA is not automatically associated with greater mental health and reduced mental ill-health, and that contextual factors are crucial to such relationships.”
§ Domain-specific physical activity and mental health: A meta-analysis > Discussion
hedged- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“The distraction hypothesis suggests that PA diverts individuals' attention from stressful life events which leads to improved mental wellbeing.55”
§ Domain-specific physical activity and mental health: A meta-analysis > Discussion
What the sources say
- Not matchedcites [55] Leith, 2010
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
hedgeddirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Not matched
In the paper
“Self-determination theory posits that behaviours which are undertaken due to autonomous motivation are more likely to be associated with the satisfaction of psychological needs (i.e., autonomy, competence, and relatedness), and that wellbeing is enhanced when an individual's psychological needs are satisfied.59”
§ Domain-specific physical activity and mental health: A meta-analysis > Discussion
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites [59] Weinstein, 2010, When helping helps: autonomous motivation for prosocial behavior and its influence on well-being for the helper and recipient, J Pers Soc Psychol source
hedgedcorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. It may state two separate claims as one.
What the paper did — it cites no source for this, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“A second reviewer cross-checked the extracted data for accuracy and all discrepancies were discussed and resolved.”
§ Domain-specific physical activity and mental health: A meta-analysis > Data Extraction
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“Alternatively, the social interaction hypothesis suggests that participating in PA with other people may influence mental health outcomes.54”
§ Domain-specific physical activity and mental health: A meta-analysis > Discussion
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites [54] Bailey, 2005, Physical activity alone and with others as predictors of sense of belonging and mental health in retirees, Aging Ment Health source
hedgedconditional- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“While lifestyle PA outside leisure-time may improve people's physical health, such behaviours may not benefit mental health.”
§ Domain-specific physical activity and mental health: A meta-analysis > Discussion
hedgedconditional- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
What the paper did — it cites no source for this, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Non-significant Egger's test results for the mental health (t = 1.6121 , p = .11)and mental ill-health meta-analyses (t = 0.0925, p = .93)revealed low asymmetry, suggesting low risk of bias across studies.”
§ Domain-specific physical activity and mental health: A meta-analysis > Risk of Bias
hedged- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
What the paper did — it cites no source for this, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“studies included in this review measured the relationship between habitual PA and mental health.”
§ Domain-specific physical activity and mental health: A meta-analysis > Discussion
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim.
In the paper
“Sallis' guideline for interpreting systematic review results states that evidence is inconclusive if less than four studies are included.73”
§ Domain-specific physical activity and mental health: A meta-analysis > Discussion
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites [73] Sallis, 2000, A review of correlates of physical activity of children and adolescents, Med Sci Sports Exerc source
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim.
What the paper did — it cites no source for this, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Not identifying the source of this variation is a limitation of the current study.”
§ Domain-specific physical activity and mental health: A meta-analysis > Discussion
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim.
The paper relies on this without support.
Less is known about whether the relationship between physical activity and mental health is consistent across different life domains.
“However, less is known about whether the relationship between physical activity and mental health is consistent across different life domains.”
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
Each contradiction between two passages listed here was confirmed by an independent check.
Rated minor: it would not touch a result — a value no result rests on, a p-value that stays on the same side of the significance level, or a conflict that is clerical, resolved elsewhere in the paper, or outside its own findings.
In the paper
§ Domain-specific physical activity and mental health: A meta-analysis > Physical Activity
“| | Mental health | 1 | 2 | .00 | .09, .17 | n/a | | n/a | | |”
§ Domain-specific physical activity and mental health: A meta-analysis > Physical Activity
“| .09, .17 |”
Rated minor: it would not touch a result — a value no result rests on, a p-value that stays on the same side of the significance level, or a conflict that is clerical, resolved elsewhere in the paper, or outside its own findings.
In the paper
§ Domain-specific physical activity and mental health: A meta-analysis > Discussion
“Secondly, all 98 studies in this review utilised self-report measures of PA.”
§ Domain-specific physical activity and mental health: A meta-analysis > Physical Activity
“Armstrong (2004) Experimental Australia 19 adults (100% female) Mo.= 30 Leisure time n/a Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale”
Citations
Cites
Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses: the PRISMA statement
Moher, D., Liberati, A., Tetzlaff, J., Altman, D. G., & for the PRISMA Group (2009) · BMJ · doi:10.1136/bmj.b2535 · Cited by 83,823
Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences
Cohen, J. (1990) · Computers Environment and Urban Systems · doi:10.1016/0198-9715(90)90050-4 · Cited by 65,417
Measuring inconsistency in meta-analyses
Higgins, J. P. T., Thompson, S. G., Deeks, J. J., & Altman, D. G. (2003) · BMJ · doi:10.1136/bmj.327.7414.557 · Cited by 63,139
Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses: the PRISMA Statement.
(2009) · PubMed Central · Cited by 44,859
Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses: The PRISMA statement
Moher, D., Liberati, A., Tetzlaff, J., Altman, D. G., & the PRISMA Group* (2009) · Annals of Internal Medicine · doi:10.7326/0003-4819-151-4-200908180-00135 · Cited by 37,554
Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions: Cochrane Book Series
(2008) · doi:10.1002/9780470712184 · Cited by 25,048
von Elm, E., Altman, D. G., Egger, M., Pocock, S. J., Gøtzsche, P. C., Vandenbroucke, J. P., & Initiative, F. T. S. (2007) · PLoS Medicine · doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.0040296 · Cited by 23,020
Applied Multiple Regression/Correlation Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences
Cohen, P., Cohen, P., West, S. G., & Aiken, L. S. (2014) · Psychology Press eBooks · doi:10.4324/9781410606266 · Cited by 20,870
Interrater reliability: The kappa statistic
McHugh, M. L. (2012) · Biochemia Medica · doi:10.11613/bm.2012.031 · Cited by 19,877
Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivations: Classic Definitions and New Directions
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000) · Contemporary Educational Psychology · doi:10.1006/ceps.1999.1020 · Cited by 18,666 · cited 3×
“As such, autonomously motivated behaviors are expected to yield more-positive psychological outcomes than behaviors undertaken because of controlled motivation.(58,60,61) Further, evidence also shows that exercise involving choice is associated with increased positive affect and enjoyment, compared with exercise with…”
Background
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Kandola, A., Ashdown-Franks, G., Hendrikse, J., Sabiston, C. M., & Stubbs, B. (2019) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.09.040 · Cited by 1,309
The case for systems thinking about climate change and mental health
Berry, H. L., Waite, T. D., Dear, K. B. G., Capon, A. G., & Murray, V. (2018) · Nature Climate Change · doi:10.1038/s41558-018-0102-4 · Cited by 485
Steptoe, A. (2019) · Annual Review of Public Health · doi:10.1146/annurev-publhealth-040218-044150 · Cited by 474
Do we need physical activity guidelines for mental health: What does the evidence tell us?
Teychenne, M. J., White, R. L., Richards, J. A., Schuch, F. B., Rosenbaum, S., & Bennie, J. A. (2019) · Mental health and physical activity · doi:10.1016/j.mhpa.2019.100315 · Cited by 302
Self-citationWhite, R. L., Vella, S. A., Biddle, S., Sutcliffe, J., Guagliano, J. M., Uddin, R., Burgin, A., Apostolopoulos, M., Nguyen, T., Young, C., et al. (2024) · International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity · doi:10.1186/s12966-024-01676-6 · Cited by 425
Self-citationBelcher, B. R., Zink, J., Azad, A., Campbell, C. E., Chakravartti, S. P., & Herting, M. M. (2020) · Biological Psychiatry Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging · doi:10.1016/j.bpsc.2020.08.005 · Cited by 345
Jacob, L., Tully, M. A., Barnett, Y., Sánchez, G. F. L., Butler, L., Schuch, F. B., López‐Bueno, R., McDermott, D. T., Firth, J., Grabovac, I., et al. (2020) · Mental health and physical activity · doi:10.1016/j.mhpa.2020.100345 · Cited by 237
Hickie, I. B., Scott, E. M., Cross, S. P., Iorfino, F., Davenport, T. A., Guastella, A. J., Naismith, S. L., Carpenter, J. S., Rohleder, C., Crouse, J. J., et al. (2019) · Medical Journal of Australia · doi:10.5694/mja2.50383 · Cited by 208
Zhang, R., Zhang, C., & Rhodes, R. E. (2021) · Environmental Research · doi:10.1016/j.envres.2021.111233 · Cited by 226
Physical activity during pregnancy and postpartum depression: systematic review and meta- analysis
Nakamura, A., van der Waerden, J., Melchior, M., Bolze, C., El-Khoury, F., & Pryor, L. (2019) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2018.12.009 · Cited by 186
Cillekens, B., Lang, M., van Mechelen, W., Verhagen, E. A. L. M., Huysmans, M. A., Holtermann, A., van der Beek, A. J., & Coenen, P. (2020) · British Journal of Sports Medicine · doi:10.1136/bjsports-2020-102587 · Cited by 203
Fernández‐Castilla, B., Jamshidi, L., Declercq, L., Beretvas, S. N., Onghena, P., & Noortgate, W. V. D. (2020) · Behavior Research Methods · doi:10.3758/s13428-020-01373-9 · Cited by 195
Step Up! Tackling the Burden of Insufficient Physical Activity in Europe
OECD (2023) · OECD eBooks · doi:10.1787/500a9601-en · Cited by 213
Chen, C., & Nakagawa, S. (2023) · Ageing Research Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.arr.2023.101868 · Cited by 178
Mavilidi, M. F., Ruiter, M., Schmidt, M., Okely, A. D., Loyens, S. M. M., Chandler, P., & PAAS, F. G. W. C. (2018) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02079 · Cited by 177
Vella, S. A., Aidman, E., Teychenne, M. J., Smith, J. J., Swann, C., Rosenbaum, S., White, R. L., & Lubans, D. R. (2023) · Journal of science and medicine in sport · doi:10.1016/j.jsams.2023.01.001 · Cited by 174
Self-citationBarriers and facilitators of domain-specific physical activity: a systematic review of reviews
García, L., Mendonça, G., Benedetti, T. R. B., Borges, L. J., Streit, I. A., Christofoletti, M., Silva-Júnior, F. L. E., Papini, C. B., & Binotto, M. A. (2022) · BMC Public Health · doi:10.1186/s12889-022-14385-1 · Cited by 118
Scholes, S., & Bann, D. (2018) · BMC Public Health · doi:10.1186/s12889-018-5857-z · Cited by 110
Physical Activity and Mental Health in Undergraduate Students
Rodríguez‐Romo, G., Acebes-Sánchez, J., García-Merino, S., Muñoz, M. G., Blanco-García, C., & Díez-Vega, I. (2022) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph20010195 · Cited by 164
“[63], in their meta-analysis, point out that LTPA provides a distraction from stress, but OPA does not; indeed, work itself may be a source of stress.”
BackgroundResultChaabane, S., Chaabna, K., Doraiswamy, S., Mamtani, R., & Cheema, S. (2021) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph18041647 · Cited by 131
“Moreover, low PA participation is of concern because it may have a detrimental effect on mental health and quality of life for children, youth, and adults [2,9].”
BackgroundAssociations of physical activity with positive mental health: A population-based study
Tamminen, N., Reinikainen, J., Appelqvist‐Schmidlechner, K., Borodulin, K., Mäki-Opas, T. E., & Solin, P. (2020) · Mental health and physical activity · doi:10.1016/j.mhpa.2020.100319 · Cited by 111
2024 ACSM Worldwide Fitness Trends: Future Directions of the Health and Fitness Industry
Newsome, A. M., Reed, R. M., Sansone, J., et al. (2023) · ACSMʼs Health & Fitness Journal · doi:10.1249/fit.0000000000000933 · Cited by 107
Bueno‐Ferrán, M., & Barrientos‐Trigo, S. (2020) · Enfermería Clínica · doi:10.1016/j.enfcli.2020.05.006 · Cited by 103
Bernard, P., Doré, I., Romain, A. J., Hains-Monfette, G., Kingsbury, C., & Sabiston, C. M. (2018) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0204682 · Cited by 84
Kandola, A. A., Cruz, B. D. P., Osborn, D., Stubbs, B., Choi, K. W., & Hayes, J. (2021) · BMC Medicine · doi:10.1186/s12916-021-02007-3 · Cited by 105
Mutz, M., Reimers, A. K., & Demetriou, Y. (2020) · Applied Research in Quality of Life · doi:10.1007/s11482-020-09866-7 · Cited by 109
Vancampfort, D., Firth, J., Stubbs, B., Schuch, F. B., Rosenbaum, S., Hallgren, M. Å., Deenik, J., Ward, P. B., Mugisha, J., Damme, T. V., et al. (2025) · World Psychiatry · doi:10.1002/wps.21314 · Cited by 122
Cai, W., Zhang, C., Zhang, S., Bai, Y., Callaghan, M., Chang, N., Чэн, Б., Chen, H., Cheng, L., Cui, X., et al. (2022) · The Lancet Public Health · doi:10.1016/s2468-2667(22)00224-9 · Cited by 85
Elevating Subjective Well-Being Through Physical Exercises: An Intervention Study
Iwon, K., Skibinska, J., Jasielska, D., & Kalwarczyk, S. (2021) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.702678 · Cited by 100
Feil, K., Allion, S., Weyland, S., & Jekauc, D. (2021) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.626750 · Cited by 85
Wong, M. Y. C., Chung, P., & Leung, K. M. (2020) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-020-01513-4 · Cited by 94
Martial arts, combat sports, and mental health in adults: A systematic review
Ciaccioni, S., Castro, Ó., Bahrami, F., Tomporowski, P. D., Capranica, L., Biddle, S., Vergeer, I., & Pesce, C. (2023) · Psychology of sport and exercise · doi:10.1016/j.psychsport.2023.102556 · Cited by 81
White, R. L., Parker, P. D., Lubans, D. R., MacMillan, F., Olson, R. E., Astell‐Burt, T., & Lonsdale, C. (2018) · International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity · doi:10.1186/s12966-018-0722-0 · Cited by 85
“and mental health [7], suggests that not all PA participation is always beneficial to mental health, and indeed some PA experiences may be detrimental to wellbeing.”
BackgroundSelf-citationThe effects of physical exercise on anxiety symptoms of college students: A meta-analysis
Lin, Y., & Gao, W. (2023) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1136900 · Cited by 104
“Aerobic exercise is effective for people’s cognitive behavior, subjective wellbeing and mental health, and people’s cognitive control and attention are also enhanced after aerobic exercise (White et al., 2017; Pontifex et al., 2019).”
BackgroundWilliams, A. J., Maguire, K., Morrissey, K., Taylor, T., & Wyatt, K. M. (2020) · BMC Public Health · doi:10.1186/s12889-020-09078-6 · Cited by 67
Xiao, T., Pan, M., Xiao, X., & Liu, Y. (2024) · BMC Psychology · doi:10.1186/s40359-024-02237-z · Cited by 76
Doré, I., O’Loughlin, J. L., Schnitzer, M. E., Datta, G. D., & Fournier, L. (2018) · Mental health and physical activity · doi:10.1016/j.mhpa.2018.04.001 · Cited by 80
Prospective associations of happiness and optimism with lifestyle over up to two decades
Trudel‐Fitzgerald, C., James, P., Kim, E. S., Zevon, E. S., Grodstein, F., & Kubzansky, L. D. (2019) · Preventive Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.ypmed.2019.105754 · Cited by 71
Raza, G. S., Herzig, K., & Leppäluoto, J. (2021) · Journal of Dairy Science · doi:10.3168/jds.2020-19649 · Cited by 69
“, 2017; Yamada and Arai, 2017) and improves mental health and quality of life (Song et al., 2014; White et al., 2017).”
BackgroundHuang, Y., Xu, P., Fu, X., Ren, Z., Cheng, J., Lin, Z., Tan, J., Huang, B., Huang, Z., Xu, H., et al. (2021) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2021.09.005 · Cited by 57
Werneck, A. O., da Silva, D. R. P., Malta, D. C., Lima, M. G., Júnior, P. R. B. D. S., Azevedo, L. O., Barros, M. B. D. A., & Szwarcwald, C. L. (2020) · Sleep Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.sleep.2020.09.021 · Cited by 57
Trends in insufficient physical activity among adults in China 2010–18: a population-based study
Zhang, M., Ma, Y., Xie, X., Sun, M., Huang, Z., Zhao, Z., Zhang, X., Li, C., Gao, X., Wu, J., et al. (2023) · International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity · doi:10.1186/s12966-023-01470-w · Cited by 61
“Recreation-related PA has a stronger relationship with mental health than work-related PA and transport-related PA [20].”
BackgroundFélez-Nóbrega, M., Bort‐Roig, J., Ma, R., Romano, E., Faires, M., Stubbs, B., Stamatakis, E., Olaya, B., Haro, J. M., Smith, L., et al. (2021) · International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity · doi:10.1186/s12966-021-01196-7 · Cited by 64
“In this regard, previous evidence indicates that some domains are more important in promoting mental health and preventing mental illness than others (such as leisure-time physical activity, transportation, school sport) [52].”
BackgroundMüller, A. M., Wang, N. X., Yao, J., Tan, C. S., Low, I. C. C., Lim, N., Tan, J., Tan, A. W. H., & Müller‐Riemenschneider, F. (2019) · JMIR mhealth and uhealth · doi:10.2196/14120 · Cited by 56
“For example, positive effects of MVPA have been shown in the domains of mortality risk [3,4] as well as physical and psychological health and well-being [1,5-7].”
Chu, A. H. Y., van Dam, R. M., Biddle, S., Tan, C. S., Koh, D. S. Q., & Müller‐Riemenschneider, F. (2018) · International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity · doi:10.1186/s12966-018-0669-1 · Cited by 55
“While leisure-time physical activity was found to provide health benefits, the associations of work-domain physical activity and health have been conflicting [35].”
BackgroundResultInfluentialRelationship between types of physical activity and depression among 88,522 adults
Matias, T. S., Lopes, M. V. V., da Costa, B. G. G., da Silva, K. S., & Schuch, F. B. (2021) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2021.10.051 · Cited by 55
Groves, C. I., Huong, C., Porter, C. D., Summerville, B., Swafford, I., Witham, B., Hayward, M., KWAN, M. Y. W., & Brown, D. M. Y. (2024) · Journal of Activity Sedentary and Sleep Behaviors · doi:10.1186/s44167-024-00048-6 · Cited by 74
Heinze, K., Cumming, J., Dosanjh, A., Palin, S., Poulton, S., Bagshaw, A. P., & Broome, M. R. (2020) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.10.014 · Cited by 61
Murphy, J. M., Sweeney, M. R., & McGrane, B. (2020) · Physical Activity and Health · doi:10.5334/paah.58 · Cited by 61
Vella, S. A., Sutcliffe, J., Fernandez, D. K., Liddelow, C., Aidman, E., Teychenne, M. J., Smith, J. J., Swann, C., Rosenbaum, S., White, R. L., et al. (2023) · Mental health and physical activity · doi:10.1016/j.mhpa.2023.100520 · Cited by 69
Self-citationPickleball and mental health in adults: A systematic review
Cerezuela, J.-L., Manzano, M. J. L., & Cangas, A. J. (2023) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1137047 · Cited by 73
“However, physical-sport activity has also been shown to be a useful tool for achieving benefits in people’s mental health (White et al., 2017; Kandola et al., 2019).”
MethodTeychenne, M. J., de Sousa, G. M., Baker, T., Liddelow, C., Babic, M., Chauntry, A. J., France‐Ratcliffe, M., Guagliano, J. M., Christie, H. E., Tremaine, E. M., et al. (2025) · British Journal of Sports Medicine · doi:10.1136/bjsports-2025-109806 · Cited by 62
Self-citationReigal, R. E., Páez-Maldonado, J. A., Brincones, J. L. P., Morillo-Baro, J. P., Hernández-Mendo, A., & Morales‐Sánchez, V. (2021) · Sustainability · doi:10.3390/su13105444 · Cited by 51
“These results satisfy the objective of the work and show that the practice of physical activity is related to better mental health states, as has also been supported by the scientific literature in recent years [35,36].”
BackgroundResultBrown, D. M. Y., KWAN, M. Y. W., Arbour‐Nicitopoulos, K. P., & Cairney, J. (2020) · Preventive Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.ypmed.2020.106352 · Cited by 41
Werneck, A. O., Stubbs, B., Szwarcwald, C. L., & da Silva, D. R. P. (2020) · General Hospital Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2020.01.007 · Cited by 45
Bennie, J. A., Cocker, K. A. D., Biddle, S., & Teychenne, M. J. (2019) · Depression and Anxiety · doi:10.1002/da.22986 · Cited by 44
Irisin: A promising treatment for neurodegenerative diseases
Qi, J., Yang, L.-K., Wang, X., Wang, M., Li, X., Feng, B., Wu, Y., Zhang, K., & Liu, S. (2022) · Neuroscience · doi:10.1016/j.neuroscience.2022.07.018 · Cited by 45
Ruissen, G. R., Beauchamp, M. R., Puterman, E. M., Zumbo, B. D., Rhodes, R. E., Hives, B. A., Sharpe, B. M., Vega, J., Low, C. A., & Wright, A. G. C. (2022) · Annals of Behavioral Medicine · doi:10.1093/abm/kaac024 · Cited by 42
Wolf, S., Seiffer, B., Zeibig, J., Frei, A. K., Studnitz, T., Welkerling, J., Meinzinger, E., Bauer, L. L., Baur, J., Rosenstiel, S., et al. (2024) · The Lancet Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/s2215-0366(24)00069-5 · Cited by 50
Scarabottolo, C. C., Tebar, W. R., Gobbo, L. A., Ohara, D., Ferreira, A. D., Canhin, D. D. S., & Christófaro, D. G. D. (2022) · Health and Quality of Life Outcomes · doi:10.1186/s12955-022-01981-3 · Cited by 44
“More recently, in a systematic review and meta-analysis on this topic, the authors reported that 76% of the articles included in the study had a crosssectional design, and, among the 23 longitudinal studies included in the study, 22 analyzed the leisure domain in isolation and only one study analyzed the different dom…”
BackgroundRamires, V. V., dos Santos, P. C., Filho, V. C. B., Bandeira, A. D. S., Tenório, M. C. M., de Camargo, É. M., Ravagnani, F. C. D. P., Sandreschi, P. F., de Oliveira, V. J. M., Hallal, P. C., et al. (2023) · Journal of Physical Activity and Health · doi:10.1123/jpah.2022-0395 · Cited by 74
Schlichtiger, J., Brunner, S., Steffen, J., & Huber, B. C. (2020) · Journal of Investigative Medicine · doi:10.1136/jim-2020-001553 · Cited by 43
Elliott, L. R., White, M. P., Sarran, C. E., Grellier, J., Garrett, J. K., Scoccimarro, E., Smalley, A. J., & Fleming, L. E. (2019) · Urban forestry & urban greening · doi:10.1016/j.ufug.2019.05.005 · Cited by 44
Koch-Institut, R. (2018) · PubMed · doi:10.17886/rki-gbe-2018-023.2 · Cited by 40
Physical activity and COVID-19: an observational and Mendelian randomisation study
Zhang, X., Li, X., Sun, Z., He, Y., Xu, W., Campbell, H. J., Dunlop, M. G., Timofeeva, M. N., & Τheodoratou, E. (2020) · Journal of Global Health · doi:10.7189/jogh.10.020514 · Cited by 62
Huang, H.-H., Stubbs, B., Chen, L., Ku, P., Hsu, T.-Y., Lin, C.-W., Weng, Y.-M., & Wu, S.-H. (2023) · International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity · doi:10.1186/s12966-023-01449-7 · Cited by 47
“PA is beneficial for mental [15] and physical health [16], including sleep improvement [17] and reduced mortality [18].”
BackgroundRyu, J., Jeong, A., Min, J., Lee, D. H., Lee, J., Song, I. H., & Jeon, J. Y. (2022) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2022.01.097 · Cited by 35
Newman, T. J., Lower‐Hoppe, L. M., Burch, M., & Paluta, L. M. (2020) · Managing Sport and Leisure · doi:10.1080/23750472.2020.1766760 · Cited by 44
“However, research also suggests that the varying effects of youth sport participation may reflect a range of contextual factors, such as the type and level of sport, as well as the gender of the sport team (White et al., 2017, 2019).”
BackgroundMurrin, E., Taylor, N. M., Peralta, L. R., Dudley, D. A., Cotton, W., & White, R. L. (2023) · BMC Public Health · doi:10.1186/s12889-023-15101-3 · Cited by 45
“Given abundant research demonstrates leisure-time physical activity is associated with better mental health [43], leisure-time physical activity near inland blue space environments such as rivers could be promoted.”
BackgroundSelf-citationPark, S. H., Petrunoff, N., Wang, N. X., van Dam, R. M., Sia, A., Tan, C. S., & Müller‐Riemenschneider, F. (2022) · Mental health and physical activity · doi:10.1016/j.mhpa.2022.100440 · Cited by 39
Jenkins, M., Mackenzie, S. H., Hodge, K. P., Hargreaves, E. A., Calverley, J. R., & Lee, C. (2021) · Frontiers in Sports and Active Living · doi:10.3389/fspor.2021.637576 · Cited by 41
Smith, J. J., Beauchamp, M. R., Faulkner, G., Morgan, P. J., Kennedy, S. G., & Lubans, D. R. (2018) · Mental health and physical activity · doi:10.1016/j.mhpa.2018.08.002 · Cited by 44
Self-citationTimm, I., Giurgiu, M., Ebner‐Priemer, U., & Reichert, M. (2024) · Sports Medicine · doi:10.1007/s40279-024-02016-1 · Cited by 52
LaForge-MacKenzie, K., Cost, K. T., Tsujimoto, K. C., Crosbie, J., Charach, A., Anagnostou, E. A., Birken, C. S., Monga, S., Kelley, E. A., Burton, C. L., et al. (2022) · Frontiers in Sports and Active Living · doi:10.3389/fspor.2022.936041 · Cited by 50
“…which showed that ECA and sports participants had fewer negative MH outcomes compared to their peers (Zarrett et al., 2009; Jewett et al., 2014; White et al., 2017; RodriguezAyllon et al., 2019), and that these outcomes have the potential to carry forward into the future (Jewett et al., 2014;…”
ResultA Mobile Application for Exercise Intervention in People Living with HIV
Bonato, M., Turrini, F., Zan, V. D., Meloni, A., PLEBANI, M., Brambilla, E., Giordani, A., VITOBELLO, C., Caccia, R., Piacentini, M. F., et al. (2019) · Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise · doi:10.1249/mss.0000000000002125 · Cited by 36
Schuch, F. B., Werneck, A. O., Vancampfort, D., Stubbs, B., Teychenne, M. J., Lotufo, P. A., Benseñor, I. M., & Brunoni, A. R. (2021) · Journal of Psychiatric Research · doi:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2021.05.053 · Cited by 40
Measuring perceptions of social environments for walking: A scoping review of walkability surveys
Iroz‐Elardo, N., Adkins, A., & Ingram, M. (2020) · Health & Place · doi:10.1016/j.healthplace.2020.102468 · Cited by 39
Impact of dance therapy on adults with psychological trauma: a systematic review
Tomaszewski, C., Belot, R.-A., Essadek, A., Onumba-Bessonnet, H., & Clesse, C. (2023) · European Journal of Psychotraumatology · doi:10.1080/20008066.2023.2225152 · Cited by 53
“For example, the effects of physical activity through DT depend on the context (White et al., 2017), the regularity, and the intensity of the activity (Chastin et al., 2021).”
BackgroundLee, J. A., Heberlein, E., Pyle, E., Caughlan, T., Rahaman, D., Sabin, M., & Kaar, J. L. (2020) · American Journal of Health Promotion · doi:10.1177/0890117120959152 · Cited by 45
Appelqvist‐Schmidlechner, K., Vaara, J. P., Vasankari, T. J., HÄKKINEN, A. H., Mäntysaari, M., & Kyröläinen, H. (2020) · BMC Public Health · doi:10.1186/s12889-020-09175-6 · Cited by 35
“[27], the present study indicates that promoting particularly leisure time PA, compared to other domains of PA, may provide the most beneficial mental health outcomes in mental health promotion and prevention of mental ill-health in young males.”
BackgroundPin, W., Goggins, W. B., Zhang, X., Ren, C., & Lau, K. K. (2020) · The Science of The Total Environment · doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.139877 · Cited by 39
How does the context of physical activity influence perceived mood and wellbeing after exercise?
White, R. L., Ryan, D., Young, C., Elston, R., & Rossi, T. (2023) · Mental health and physical activity · doi:10.1016/j.mhpa.2023.100504 · Cited by 40
Self-citationAndriyani, F. D., Biddle, S., & Cocker, K. A. D. (2021) · BMC Public Health · doi:10.1186/s12889-021-11931-1 · Cited by 43
“Participation in the physical activity itself is important for maintaining good mental health [68, 69].”
Backgroundvan der Waerden, J. E. B., Nakamura, A., Pryor, L., Charles, M.-A. A., El-Khoury, F., & Dargent‐Molina, P. (2019) · Preventive Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.ypmed.2019.02.012 · Cited by 35
The impact of sitting time and physical activity on mental health during COVID-19 lockdown
Pears, M., Kola, S., & Azevedo, L. B. (2021) · Sport Sciences for Health · doi:10.1007/s11332-021-00791-2 · Cited by 43
“Concerning leisure-time there is strong evidence from a meta-analysis that leisure-time physical activity positively affects mental health [73].”
BackgroundGeng, S., Zhou, Y., Zhang, W., Lou, A., Cai, Y., Xie, J., Sun, J., Zhou, W., Liu, W., & Li, X. (2021) · Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy · doi:10.1002/cpp.2564 · Cited by 35
“The studies of leisure activity and mental health mainly focused on the domain of physical activity (White et al., 2017).”
BackgroundThe effect of occupational physical activity on dementia: Results from the Copenhagen Male Study
Nabe‐Nielsen, K., Holtermann, A., Gyntelberg, F., Garde, A. H., Islamoska, S., Prescott, E., Schnohr, P., & Hansen, Å. M. (2020) · Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports · doi:10.1111/sms.13846 · Cited by 34
Teychenne, M. J., Abbott, G., Lamb, K. E., Rosenbaum, S., & Ball, K. (2017) · Preventive Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.ypmed.2017.07.005 · Cited by 35
“In addition, observational studies provide evidence that leisure-time physical activity is inversely associated with depressive symptoms [7, 8].”
BackgroundOftedal, S., Smith, J., Vandelanotte, C., Burton, N. W., & Duncan, M. J. (2019) · Preventive Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.ypmed.2019.105773 · Cited by 34
“12 with better mental health, work-related PA was associated with worse mental health [64].”
BackgroundLin, H., Zhu, Y., Liu, Q., & Li, S. (2024) · Frontiers in Public Health · doi:10.3389/fpubh.2024.1434624 · Cited by 43
Pletzer, J. L., Thielmann, I., & Zettler, I. (2023) · European Journal of Personality · doi:10.1177/08902070231174574 · Cited by 39
“…initial sub-categories, sub-groups, and criterion classes after consulting relevant prior meta-analysis (e.g., Davis et al., 2015; Emmer et al., 2020; White et al., 2017) and based on data availability to allow meaningful analyses, which were then discussed with the second and third author until…”
BackgroundRutherford, E. R., Vandelanotte, C., Chapman, J., & To, Q. G. (2022) · BMC Public Health · doi:10.1186/s12889-022-14037-4 · Cited by 35
“Firstly, leisuretime physical activity is more likely to be viewed as a selfdirected, enjoyable task compared to physical activity in other domains [13].”
BackgroundResultInfluentialChen, Q., Dai, W., Li, G., & Ma, N. (2022) · Sleep and Biological Rhythms · doi:10.1007/s41105-022-00398-1 · Cited by 40
Bourke, M., Hilland, T. A., & Craike, M. J. (2021) · Psychology and Health · doi:10.1080/08870446.2021.1965603 · Cited by 30
“…study may explain meta-analytic evidence that participation in recreational physical activities has a stronger positive association with mental health and a stronger negative association with mental ill-health than participation in physical activity in other life domains (White et al., 2017).”
BackgroundGanjeh, P., Meyer, T., Hagmayer, Y., Kuhnert, R., Ravens‐Sieberer, U., von Steinbüchel, N., Rothenberger, A., & Becker, A. (2021) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph18052207 · Cited by 40
White, R. L., Bennie, J. A., Abbott, G., & Teychenne, M. J. (2020) · BMC Public Health · doi:10.1186/s12889-020-09112-7 · Cited by 34
“The option to self-select the intensity of physical activity may not be as possible within the work domain, as it is during leisure-time – where moderate and vigorous physical activity are associated with better psychological outcomes [5, 46].”
BackgroundInfluentialSelf-citationTime-use and environmental determinants of dropout from organized youth football and tennis
Deelen, I., Ettema, D., & Kamphuis, C. B. M. (2018) · BMC Public Health · doi:10.1186/s12889-018-5919-2 · Cited by 34
Engels, E. S., Mutz, M., Demetriou, Y., & Reimers, A. K. (2021) · Archives of Public Health · doi:10.1186/s13690-021-00651-y · Cited by 27
“Physical activities in leisure time seem to have more positive effects on wellbeing than activities in work- or transport-related domains [16, 42].”
BackgroundDoyle, C. B., Khan, A., & Burton, N. W. (2019) · The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness · doi:10.23736/s0022-4707.18.09186-7 · Cited by 32
Brown, D. M. Y., & Kwan, M. Y. W. (2021) · Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnbeh.2021.736587 · Cited by 25
Metadata
- Authors
- White, R. L., Babic, M. J., Parker, P. D., Lubans, D. R., Astell-Burt, T., & Lonsdale, C.
- Affiliations
- Australian Catholic University (AU)
- University of Newcastle Australia (AU)
- Corresponding author
- Lonsdale, Chris
- Venue
- American Journal of Preventive Medicine
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2017-05
- Volume
- 52
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 653-666
- ISSN
- 0749-3797 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2582924421
- Cited by
- 715
- References
- 192
- Citations by year
- 2026: 65 · 2025: 90 · 2024: 119 · 2023: 120 · 2022: 95 · 2021: 95 · 2020: 72 · 2019: 33 · 2018: 22 · 2017: 3
- FWCI
- 4.36
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- American Journal of Preventive Medicine (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Research Bank (Australian Catholic University) (submittedVersion)
- Research Online (University of Wollongong) (submittedVersion)
- Figshare (submittedVersion)
- NOVA (University of Newcastle Australia) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Australian Research Council (DP130104659)
- Australian Postgraduate Award
- Australian Catholic University
- Australian Research Council Future Fellowship
- National Heart Foundation of Australia
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Physical Activity and Health
- Social Sciences › Life-span and Life-course Studies › Recreational Sport and Physical Activity
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Tourism, Leisure and Hospitality Management › Recreation, Leisure, Wilderness Management
- Keywords
- physical activity, mental health, mental illness, leisure-time physical activity, work-related physical activity, household physical activity, school sports, physical education
- MeSH terms
- Community Participation, Environment, Female, Health Planning, Health Policy, Health Promotion, Humans, Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice, Male, Mental Health, United States, Health Behavior, Exercise, Needs Assessment
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
A language model drew the claims from the paper on 2026-10-11, under version 3 of the claim definition (model deepseek-v4.1-flash, prompt extract-v3).
A second model labelled each claim on 2026-10-11 (model jev-1.13-20260917, definition revision gold-guideline-v0.2).
Cited sources are checked with a language model’s help (gpt-6-sol).
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
