ArticleBMC medicine2010
Physical activity and depressive symptoms in adolescents: a prospective study.
Article in BMC medicine, 2010. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 76 papers.
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Who cites it
76 citing papers in PubMed.
- Therapeutic effects of proprioceptive exercise on functional capacity, anxiety, and depression in patients with diabetic neuropathy: a 2-month prospective study.Clinical rheumatology · 2020Trial
- Trial
- Whole body vibration added to treatment as usual is effective in adolescents with depression: a partly randomized, three-armed clinical trial in inpatients.European child & adolescent psychiatry · 2018Trial
- Effects of physical exercise on the developmental trajectory of social anxiety in middle school students: a mixed growth model.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Article
- Associations of exercise frequency, exercise session duration, and sleep duration with depressive symptoms among Chinese adolescents: a complex-survey cross-sectional analysis of CFPS2022.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2026Article
- Non-linear dose-response association between physical activity and mental health in adolescents: a prospective cohort study based on SEARCH.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2025Article
- The relationship between self-reported and device-based measurements of physical activity and mental distress among adolescents: results from the fit futures study.BMC public health · 2025Article
- The Influence of Sociodemographic Characteristics, Lifestyle, and Metabolic Syndrome on Anxiety and Depression Symptoms in Adults in Banja Luka.Acta medica academica · 2025Article
- Biological rhythm patterns and internalising disorders among children and adolescents: a cross-sectional study.BMJ open · 2025Article
- Gender mediates the mediating effect of psychological capital between physical activity and depressive symptoms among adolescents.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Impact of Exercise on Psychological Well-Being in Patients with Pediatric Cancer: An Experimental Study.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Maintaining optimal cardiovascular health metrics and carotid intima-media thickness among Korean adolescents.Clinical hypertension · 2025Article
- Article
- Effect of Physical Exercise on Executive Functions Using the Emotional Stroop Task in Perimenopausal Women: A Pilot Study.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Combined effect of the smartphone addiction and physical activity on the depressive symptoms in secondary school students: a cross sectional study in Shanghai, China.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2024Article
- Increased physical activity frequency in primary school adolescents is related to reduced risk of self-reported adverse mental health symptoms.Frontiers in public health · 2024Article
- A longitudinal examination of the effect of physical exercise on the emotional states of college students: exploring the sense of coherence as a mediator through a cross-lagged panel analysis.Frontiers in behavioral neuroscience · 2024Article
- Mental Health During Early Adolescence and Later Cardiometabolic Risk: A Prospective Study of US Latinx Youth.The Journal of adolescent health : official publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine · 2024Article
- The Associations between Meeting 24-Hour Movement Guidelines (24-HMG) and Mental Health in Adolescents-Cross Sectional Evidence from China.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
16 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThe frequency of mental illness amongst adolescents and its potential long-term consequences make it an important topic to research in relation to risk and protective factors. Research on the relationship between physical activity and depressive symptoms in adolescents is limited. There is a particular lack of evidence from longitudinal studies. This study examines the relationship between depression and physical activity using the Research with East London Adolescents: Community Health Survey (RELACHS).
methodsThis was a prospective cohort study. Participants were recruited from three Local Education Authority boroughs in East London in 2001 from year 7 (aged 11-12) and year 9 (aged 13-14) and were followed-up in 2003. All pupils in the 28 schools that took part were eligible for the study. Of the total 3,322 pupils eligible for the survey the overall response rate was 84% (2,789 pupils). A total of 2,093 (75%) pupils were also followed-up in 2003. The sample was multiethnic (73% of respondents were non-white) and deprived. Just under half of the sample was male (49%). Depressive symptoms were measured using the Short Moods and Feelings Questionnaire (SMFQ). Logistic regression analyses were used to examine the association between physical activity and depressive symptoms both cross-sectionally and longitudinally.
resultsAfter adjustments, there was evidence for a cross-sectional association between physical activity and depressive symptoms for both boys and girls at baseline, with a decrease in the odds of depressive symptoms of about 8% for each additional hour of exercise undertaken per week (boys: odds ratio (OR) = 0.92, 95% CI 0.85 to 0.99; girls: OR = 0.92, 95% CI 0.85 to 1.00). There was no evidence for an association between a change in physical activity from baseline to follow-up and depressive symptoms at follow-up.
conclusionsThis study provides some evidence for an association between level of physical activity and decreased depressive symptoms in adolescents. Further longitudinal research of these associations is required before physical activity can be recommended as an intervention for depression in adolescents.
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