Physical activity and mental health in children and adolescents: a review of reviews
Open accessAbstract
Objective: To synthesise reviews investigating physical activity and depression, anxiety, self-esteem and cognitive functioning in children and adolescents and to assess the association between sedentary behaviour and mental health by performing a brief review. Methods: Searches were performed in 2010. Inclusion criteria specified review articles reporting chronic physical activity and at least one mental health outcome that included depression, anxiety/stress, self-esteem and cognitive functioning in children or adolescents. Results: Four review articles reported evidence concerning depression, four for anxiety, three for self-esteem and seven for cognitive functioning. Nine primary studies assessed associations between sedentary behaviour and mental health. Physical activity has potentially beneficial effects for reduced depression, but the evidence base is limited. Intervention designs are low in quality, and many reviews include cross-sectional studies. Physical activity interventions have been shown to have a small beneficial effect for reduced anxiety, but the evidence base is limited. Physical activity can lead to improvements in self-esteem, at least in the short term. However, there is a paucity of good quality research. Reviews on physical activity and cognitive functioning have provided evidence that routine physical activity can be associated with improved cognitive performance and academic achievement, but these associations are usually small and inconsistent. Primary studies showed consistent negative associations between mental health and sedentary behaviour. Conclusions: Association between physical activity and mental health in young people is evident, but research designs are often weak and effects are small to moderate. Evidence shows small but consistent associations between sedentary screen time and poorer mental health.
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Systematic reviews have shown that physical activity is associated with greater mental health and a reduced risk of mental ill-health, specifically depression and anxiety.
“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”
From Domain-Specific Physical Activity and Mental Health: A Meta-analysis (2017) · cites this paper as [7]
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)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredPhysical activity has small but positive effects on a range of cognitive and mental health outcomes in youth.
“Although there may be a bi-directional relationship between physical activity and mental health, experimental studies conducted with youth have demonstrated that increasing physical activity has small but positive effects on a range of cognitive and mental health outcomes. 6-9”
From Physical Activity for Cognitive and Mental Health in Youth: A Systematic Review of Mechanisms (2016) · cites this paper as [6]
The Abstract and Overall Conclusions report beneficial effects of physical activity on several mental-health outcomes in young people, with generally small-to-moderate effects; the Cognitive Functioning section also reports some positive findings. But the paper says cognitive findings are small and inconsistent, and that much of the evidence is cross-sectional or methodologically weak. It therefore does not fully support the sentence’s implication that experimental studies have demonstrated positive effects across the range of outcomes. (LLM, conf=0.84)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredOrganized sport activities include physical activity as an additional feature that may improve the mental health of children and adolescents.
“Organized sport activities also includes physical activity as an additional feature that may improve the mental health of children and adolescents”
From Impact of organized activities on mental health in children and adolescents: An umbrella review (2022) · cites this paper as Biddle and Asare, 2011
There is less research on exercise interventions to treat depression in adolescents compared to adults, especially examining the moderating effects of exercise-related variables.
“There is less research on exercise interventions to treat depression in adolescents compared to adults, especially examining the moderating effects of exercise-related variables (e.g., exercise type, exercise program duration, exercise session duration, exercise intensity, and exercise frequency) [24].”
From Systematic review and meta-analysis of the effects of exercise on depression in adolescents (2022) · cites this paper as [24]
Sedentary behaviours (such as screen time) are associated with poorer mental health among children and adolescents.
“There is evidence that physical activity is associated with better mental health whereas sedentary behaviours (such as screen time) are associated with poorer mental health among children and adolescents.56 91–93”
From Physical activity and health in Chinese children and adolescents: expert consensus statement (2020) (2020) · cites this paper as [91]
Physical activity is associated with better mental health among children and adolescents.
“There is evidence that physical activity is associated with better mental health whereas sedentary behaviours (such as screen time) are associated with poorer mental health among children and adolescents.56 91–93”
From Physical activity and health in Chinese children and adolescents: expert consensus statement (2020) (2020) · cites this paper as [91]
Associations between physical activity and mental health outcomes are generally weak in terms of effect sizes.
“Associations between physical activity and mental health outcomes, however, are generally weak in terms of effect sizes.”
From Physical activity and health in Chinese children and adolescents: expert consensus statement (2020) (2020) · cites this paper as [91]
Biddle and Asare (2011) summarized three systematic reviews that reported a small-to-moderate effect of physical activity interventions on self-esteem in youth.
“The reviews discussed in Biddle and Asare (2011) reported a small-to-moderate effect of physical activity interventions on self-esteem in youth.”
From The effects of physical activity interventions on psychosocial outcomes in adolescents: a meta-analytic review (2016) · cites this paper as Biddle & Asare, 2011
The findings of this meta-analysis are consistent with findings of previous reviews.
“These findings are consistent with findings of previous reviews”
From The effects of physical activity interventions on psychosocial outcomes in adolescents: a meta-analytic review (2016) · cites this paper as Biddle & Asare, 2011
Economic development in Nepal is rapidly increasing motorized vehicles and may increase access to screen devices.
“Due to the concurrent economic development in recent years in Nepal, the number of motorized vehicles is increasing rapidly with the expansion of road networks in rural areas, 49 and potentially more people have access to screen devices.”
From Global Matrix 3.0 Physical Activity Report Card Grades for Children and Youth: Results and Analysis From 49 Countries (2018) · cites this paper as [49]
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- Authors
- Biddle, S. J. H., & Asare, M.
- Affiliations
- Loughborough University (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Biddle, Stuart J H
- ORCID
- Biddle, Stuart J H
- Venue
- British Journal of Sports Medicine
- Publisher
- BMJ
- Published
- 2011-08-01
- Volume
- 45
- Issue
- 11
- Pages
- 886-895
- ISSN
- 0306-3674 (ISSN-L)
- 1473-0480
- OpenAlex
- W2111834333
- Cited by
- 2,447
- References
- 44
- Citations by year
- 2026: 219 · 2025: 229 · 2024: 219 · 2023: 203 · 2022: 216 · 2021: 224 · 2020: 214 · 2019: 195 · 2018: 163 · 2017: 153 · 2016: 122 · 2015: 115 · 2014: 76 · 2013: 73 · 2012: 20
- FWCI
- 6.01
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- vuir.vu.edu.au
- Locations
- British Journal of Sports Medicine (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Victoria University Research Repository (Victoria University) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Physical Activity and Health
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
- Social Sciences › Life-span and Life-course Studies › Sports and Physical Education Studies
- Keywords
- physical activity, mental health, children, adolescents, depression, anxiety, self-esteem, cognitive function, academic performance, sedentary behavior, screen time, physical activity interventions
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Mental Disorders, Child, Cognition Disorders, Depressive Disorder, Humans, Mental Health, Review Literature as Topic, Self Concept, Exercise, Young Adult, Sedentary Behavior
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