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. 2024 Dec 5;14(1):30281.
doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-81273-6.

Longitudinal study examining the relationship between physical activity and psychiatric hospitalizations in canadian adolescents and young adults utilizing record linkage

M Fahim  1 , J V A Williams  2 , P E Ronksley  2 , M M Fidler-Benaoudia  3   4 , S B Patten  2   5
Affiliations

Longitudinal study examining the relationship between physical activity and psychiatric hospitalizations in canadian adolescents and young adults utilizing record linkage

M Fahim et al. Sci Rep. .

Abstract

Overwhelming evidence suggests that physical activity among youth can prevent mental illness; however, few studies have explored its effects on mental healthcare utilization. This study aimed to examine the longitudinal associations between physical activity among Canadian adolescents and young adults (AYAs; 12-24 years) and incidence of psychiatric hospitalizations. Physical activity was measured in the 2001-2014 Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) and was linked to the Discharge Abstract Database. Negative binomial regression analyses were performed on each CCHS cycle to obtain incidence rate ratios (IRRs) for psychiatric hospitalizations by level of physical activity, which were subsequently meta-analyzed to obtain pooled estimates. In total, 96,100 participants were recruited across eleven cycles. Adolescents were more physically active (52%) compared to young adults (39%). The most common cause of hospitalization was mood or anxiety disorders (38%). Fully adjusted models found that moderately active (IRR = 1.30; 95% CI: 1.02-1.66; p = 0.01) and inactive (IRR = 1.33; 95% CI: 1.06-1.66; p = 0.01) participants had higher rates of psychiatric hospitalizations compared to active participants. Our findings suggest that lower levels of physical activity among AYAs were associated with an increased incidence of psychiatric hospitalizations, providing valuable insights for stakeholders and laying the groundwork for future research.

Keywords: Adolescents; Mental disorders; Physical activity; Psychiatric hospitalizations; Young adults.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Conflict of interest: The authors declare no competing interests. Ethical approval: This study was carried out in accordance with Statistics Canada Directive on Microdata Linkage and the TCPS-2 Ethical Guidelines. The methods and reporting of this manuscript were completed in accordance with the RECORD guidelines for the reporting of health administrative data.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Venn diagram combined with flow diagram to illustrate the linkage process between data sources, exclusion criteria, and sample sizes.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Pooled percent proportion of physical activity levels between adolescents and young adults.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Percent proportion of physical activity levels among adolescents and young adults across all CCHS cycles.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
(a) Cumulative incidence of psychiatric hospitalizations for each cycle of the CCHS. (b) Incidence rate of psychiatric hospitalizations for each cycle of the CCHS.
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Pooled percent proportion of the most responsible diagnoses received for psychiatric hospitalizations.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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