Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41057825›Full record

SynthesisThe international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity2025

The effects of different types of leisure-time physical activity on positive mental health among adolescents: a mixed-methods systematic review and meta-analysis.

Lars Lenze, Valentin Benzing, Julia Schmid, Beatrice Minder, Rosa-Emilia Henn, Annika Frahsa

Abstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Lars LenzeInstitute of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland. lars.lenze@unibe.ch.
Valentin BenzingInstitute of Sport Science, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
Julia SchmidInstitute of Sport Science, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
Beatrice MinderPublic Health & Primary Care Library, University Library of Bern, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
Rosa-Emilia HennInstitute of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
Annika FrahsaInstitute of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundDespite the well-researched general effect of physical activity on mental health, less is known about specific effects, such as qualitative and contextual aspects of physical activity. Thus, this review aimed to systematically synthesise evidence on the effects and experiences of different types of leisure-time physical activity (LTPA; e.g., running, fitness, yoga) on distinct positive mental health (PMH) outcomes among adolescents.

methodsWe searched in seven databases (MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, Cochrane, SPORTDiscus, CINAHL, and Web of Science) without language restrictions for records from January 2009 to 16 June 2025. Inclusion criteria were defined according to the PICOS framework: population (adolescents from non-clinical studies); intervention (specific LTPA type); comparisons (with and without comparator); outcomes (measures or experiences of PMH); study designs (longitudinal quantitative and qualitative studies). We appraised included studies using the mixed-methods appraisal tool.

results44 articles from initial 8,149 records were included. Following a convergent segregated approach, the meta-analyses for synthesising the quantitative studies showed different effects depending on the LTPA type. Additionally, the effects depend on the PMH outcome in focus. We identified four facilitators to promote PMH outcomes from the synthesis of qualitative studies: social facilitators for all types of LTPA and various configurations of other facilitators (mastery-related, setting-related, affective-related) for specific LTPA types. The mixed-methods synthesis shows the interplay between LTPA and PMH outcomes depending on the LTPA type.

conclusionsThe effects of LTPA on PMH in adolescents depend on the LTPA type and PMH outcome in focus. Perceived facilitators highlight possible explanations for the effects found. By investigating specific LTPA types and different PMH outcomes, ecologically valid implications for specific contexts to foster adolescent mental health may be derived. The limited number of studies per LTPA type, PMH aspect, and study design emphasises the need for more research to derive more specific and robust implications for tailored mental health promotion.

Indexed as

ExerciseLeisure ActivitiesMental HealthAdolescentHumansYogaAdolescenceLeisure-time physical activityMental healthMeta-analysisMixed-methodsPhysical activitySports participationSystematic reviewWell-beingYouth

Identifiers

PMID41057825
PMCPMC12506210

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.