ArticleFrontiers in sports and active living2026
Physical activity and mental health in children and adolescents during and after the COVID-19 pandemic: findings from the six-wave German COPSY study.
Article in Frontiers in sports and active living, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- [Physical activity and mental health in childhood and adolescence: a summary of the evidence from three national studies].Bundesgesundheitsblatt, Gesundheitsforschung, Gesundheitsschutz · 2026Review
- Physical fitness as a predictor of health-related quality of life in children.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2026Article
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
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Abstract
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic coincided with declines in youth mental health and health-related quality of life. Physical activity (PA) has been identified as a modifiable factor associated with better mental health outcomes, yet longitudinal evidence jointly examining well-being and mental health problems remains limited. Methods: Data stem from six waves of the German COPSY cohort of 11- to 21-year-olds ( Results: Higher PA was dose-responsively associated with better health-related quality of life and fewer mental health problems across all waves. Compared to low PA, higher PA levels related to small to moderate improvements in health-related quality of life and small reductions in mental health problems. A small interaction indicated that the association between high PA and fewer mental health problems was slightly stronger among older adolescents; all other interactions were non-significant. Sensitivity analyses yielded comparable results. Conclusions: PA showed small to moderate associations with higher health-related quality of life and fewer mental health problems during and after the pandemic. Ensuring accessible opportunities for youth PA should be integral to mental health promotion and future crisis preparedness.
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