The impact of physical activity on mental health in children

Abstract

Over the past decade, children have become more and more sedentary, which predisposes them to mental health problems such as depression and anxiety. The present investigation aims to find a possible impact of physical activity on children’s mental health. The data from a sample of 60 children with age between 9 to 11 years old has been examined. The sample was equally divided into two parts, one consists of physically active children who practice different sports or physical activities, and on the other part, the sample was composed of children who are not practicing any physical activity. The children’s parents completed the PRS-C BASC-2 Questionnaire, providing data about the child’s behaviors. Physically active children showed lower levels of depressive behavior than physically inactive children (sig. 0,002, p<0.01). The data showed that children involved in physical activity have less anxiety behaviors than the control group (sig. 0,000, p<0.01). Moreover, we find that the level of adaptability is significantly higher in physically active children (sig. 0,023, p<0.01). These findings suggest that physical activity has a beneficial effect on children's mental health. More research is needed to understand better the relationship between physical activity and mental health in children.