ArticleScientific reports2025
Physical activity and mental health in Chinese high school students: a cross-sectional study.
Article in Scientific reports, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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6 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Blue health among children, adolescents, and youth psychological well-being: a systematic review of swimming and aquatic therapy for mental health.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Pooled it
- Latent profile analysis of physical activity and mental health among chinese high school adolescents.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Adverse and positive childhood experiences in relation to adolescent mental health: sequential indirect associations.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Smartphone dependence and sport participation among Chinese adolescents: chain mediation by self-control and health beliefs and direct-path moderation by interpersonal support.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- The association between physical activity and depressive symptoms in adolescents: the serial mediating roles of school connectedness and self-control.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- A bidirectional association between school environmental factors and physical activity habit formation among Chinese urban adolescents: a cross-lagged panel model.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
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Abstract
Adolescent physical activity (PA) is essential for mental health. However, the declining PA levels amongst this group pose global challenges. This study examines the relationship between PA and mental health amongst 1668 Chinese high school students, focusing on gender and grade-level differences. Only 30.9% of students met the recommended 60 min of daily moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA), with boys showing a significantly higher compliance rate than girls (44.2% vs. 25.2%, P < 0.001). MVPA compliance was linked to better mental health, as compliant students had a lower mental health detection rate (43.6%) compared with non-compliant peers (56.4%, P < 0.001). The grade 11 students were at the highest risk of mental health issues (OR = 2.421, 95% CI: 1.893-3.096 and P < 0.001), whilst being female (OR = 0.630, 95% CI: 0.502-0.791 and P < 0.001). Meanwhile, MVPA non-compliance (OR = 0.792, 95% CI: 0.736-0.851 and P = 0.008) were additional risk factors. Poorer mental health correlated with reduced time in vigorous PA and increased time in low-intensity activities (P = 0.001). These findings highlight the low PA levels and significant mental health risks amongst adolescents, particularly girls and grade 11 students. Targeted interventions promoting PA, time management and mental health support are critical.
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