Change in device-measured physical activity assessed in childhood and adolescence in relation to depressive symptoms: a general population-based cohort study

Abstract

AimEvidence for a link between physical activity and mental health in young people is hampered by methodological shortcomings. Using repeat assessments of device-measured physical activity, we examined the association of within-individual variation in free-living activity over 7 years with depressive symptoms.MethodsThis was a prospective cohort study of a nationally representative sample of children born in the UK (n=4898). Physical activity was quantified using accelerometry at ages 7 and 14. The main outcome was depressive symptoms, based on the Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire, assessed at age 14.ResultsAfter adjustment for socioeconomic status, body mass index and psychological problems at baseline, a higher level of light-intensity activity at age 7 in girls was associated with a lower likelihood of having depressive symptoms at follow-up (OR, 0.79; 95% CI 0.61 to 1.00), although no associations were observed for moderate to vigorous activity or sedentary behaviour. Girls who transitioned from low baseline activity to higher levels at follow-up experienced a lower risk of depressive symptoms (OR, 0.60; 95% CI 0.39 to 0.92) compared with the inactive reference category. Null associations were observed in boys. Participants who consistently met the current recommendation of 60 min/day of moderate to vigorous activity both at 7 and 14 years of age experienced the lowest risk of depressive symptoms (OR, 0.55; 95% CI 0.34 to 0.88).ConclusionTo prevent depressive symptoms in adolescence, policies to increase physical activity from mid-childhood may have utility.

Physical activity and the development of general mental health problems or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms in children and adolescents: A cross-lagged panel analysis of long-term follow-up epidemiological data

“…In line with other studies (Doré et al, 2019 ; Loewen et al, 2019 ; Gómez-Baya et al, 2020 ; Wu et al, 2021 ), the findings indicated that higher levels of PA in childhood can predict mental health problems 6 years later in both boys and girls. This confirms a general tendency found in several studies with prepubertal children (Hamer et al, 2020 ). However, for the cross-lagged association from Wave 1 to Wave 2 (i.e., during adolescence), there was no significant path from PA to mental health problems neither for boys nor girls.…”

“…Several longitudinal studies showed a long-term relationship between PA and psychological constructs, but the results are inconsistent (Wu et al, 2018 , 2021 ; Doré et al, 2019 , 2020 ; Kleppang et al, 2019 ; Loewen et al, 2019 ; Gómez-Baya et al, 2020 ; Hamer et al, 2020 ; Isaksson et al, 2020 ; Kandola et al, 2020 ; van Woudenberg et al, 2020 ; Bowe et al, 2021 ). To illustrate some results, Nigg et al concluded that PA may not be a preventive component for mental health problems, but mental health problems can be a risk factor for lower activity at preadolescent ages (Nigg et al, 2021 ).…”

“…Individual studies have small and non-representative samples (Ahn et al, 2018 ; Bowe et al, 2021 ; Mercurio et al, 2021 ), low quality, no long-term follow-ups, and inadequate consideration of real-world implementation factors for intervention studies (Parker et al, 2019 ). In many longitudinal studies, there is a lack of repeated measurements of either PA or mental health outcomes (Ahn et al, 2018 ; Peralta et al, 2018 ; Bell et al, 2019 ; Doré et al, 2019 , 2020 ; Kleppang et al, 2019 ; Hamer et al, 2020 ; Pagani et al, 2020 ; van Woudenberg et al, 2020 ; Bowe et al, 2021 ; Wu et al, 2021 ). Also, a focus on specific mental health outcomes (Rodriguez-Ayllon et al, 2019 ) and less frequent use of multidimensional measurements (Bell et al, 2019 ) are further limitations that should be mentioned.…”

Is Physical Activity Associated with Mental Health among Chinese Adolescents during Isolation in COVID-19 Pandemic?

“…It inevitably led to lower levels of PA, and prolonged sedentary screen time. Insufficient PA level of adolescents was associated with increased anxiety level, decreased learning efficiency and increased risk of depression [20]. Research has approved that increase in SED resulted in poor mental health [21,22].…”

Physical Activity Levels and Screen Time among Youth with Overweight/Obesity Using Mental Health Services

“…Reviews consistently note that higher levels of physical activity are associated with better mental health among youth (e.g., lower anxiety symptoms, lower depressive symptoms) [ 32 , 33 ]. For example, youth aged 7 and 14 years who met the 60 min/day of MVPA guideline had lower risk of depression [ 34 ]. There is evidence that both regular physical activity and limited screen time have mental health benefits among youth [ 32 , 33 ].…”