What is it about?
We followed the physical fitness of 241 adolescents from childhood to adolescence for eight years. We showed that adolescents who had better cardiorespiratory fitness from childhood to adolescence and who improved their cardiorespiratory fitness had fewer depressive symptoms and lower stress levels. We also found that better motor fitness from childhood to adolescence was associated with better cognitive function, fewer depressive symptoms, and lower stress levels. However, the association between motor fitness and depressive symptoms was weaker than that of cardiorespiratory fitness. Screen time assessed in adolescence partly explained the associations between physical fitness and mental health.
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Why is it important?
The results of the study are important, as mental health problems are a major societal challenge, affecting up to 25-30% of young people. Considering our findings, improving physical fitness can help prevent mental health problems from childhood.
Perspectives
The concern about the decline in physical fitness in children and adolescents is real. However, the focus has been on physical health. Our results should encourage policymakers and caregivers to see the significance of physical fitness more holistically, as poor physical fitness can increase mental health problems and impair cognitive skills needed for learning.
Dr. Eero Haapala
University of Jyväskylä
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Childhood Physical Fitness as a Predictor of Cognition and Mental Health in Adolescence: The PANIC Study, Sports Medicine, September 2024, Springer Science + Business Media,
DOI: 10.1007/s40279-024-02107-z.
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