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. 2020 Jan 23;6(1):e000677.
doi: 10.1136/bmjsem-2019-000677. eCollection 2020.

Physical activity and exercise in youth mental health promotion: a scoping review

Michaela Pascoe  1   2 , Alan P Bailey  3 , Melinda Craike  1   4 , Tim Carter  5 , Rhiannon Patten  1 , Nigel Stepto  1   6   7   8 , Alexandra Parker  1   3
Affiliations

Physical activity and exercise in youth mental health promotion: a scoping review

Michaela Pascoe et al. BMJ Open Sport Exerc Med. .

Abstract

Background/aim: This scoping review examined the breadth and outcomes of controlled trials testing the effect of physical activity and exercise interventions across all mental health outcomes for mental health promotion and indicated prevention studies in young people.

Methods: The literature search was conducted using 'Evidence Finder'.

Results: Thirty publications were included. Available evidence suggested that interventions of varying intensity may lead to a reduction in depression symptoms and that moderate-to-vigorous-intensity and light-intensity interventions may reduce anxiety symptoms. Effects of physical activity/exercise interventions on additional mental health outcomes were also shown; however, the number of studies was small, indicating a limited evidence base. Robust research regarding the effects of physical activity/exercise on mental health promotion and as an indicated prevention strategy in young people is lacking.

Conclusion: The available evidence suggests that physical activity/exercise is a promising mental health promotion and early intervention strategy and warrants further investigation.

Keywords: adolescent; physical activity; prevention; well-being.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
PRISMA flow diagram showing reasons for study exclusions. PRISMA, Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Distribution of mental health outcomes studied. The following outcomes were measured only once and are not depicted in figure 1: anger, anxiety sensitivity, body image, burn-out, fatigue, functioning, hopefulness, life purpose and satisfaction, mindfulness, psychological symptoms and distress, quality of life, self-perception, situational motivation, and social skills.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Distribution of interventions studied by intensity.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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