Exercise May Provide Protection for Childhood Psychiatric Conditions
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
THURSDAY, May 15, 2025 -- Physical activity (PA) and participation in organized sports may offer protective effects against childhood psychiatric conditions, according to a study published online May 13 in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
Oskar Lundgren, M.D., from Linköping University in Sweden, and colleagues examined associations between parent-reported PA, time spent outdoors, and participation in organized sports with later incidence of psychiatric conditions in childhood in a birth cohort of 17,055 children followed up to age 18 years.
The researchers found that between 5 and 11 years of age, PA decreased from 4.2 to 2.5 hours per day. Among all participants, there was a negative association for PA at age 11 with incidence of any psychiatric conditions until 18 years (hazard ratio, 0.88). A trend for reducing depression among girls and boys was seen in association with PA at 11 years, and this offered protection against anxiety and addiction for boys (hazard ratios, 0.61 and 0.65, respectively), but not girls. No protective associations were seen for time outdoors, but significant protective effects were seen for participation in organized sports on anxiety and addiction for boys and girls, and on depression for boys.
"This study showed that PA, and in particular, participation in organized sports, may provide sex-specific protective effects against future incidence of several childhood psychiatric diseases," the authors write.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted May 2025
Read this next
Experiencing Sacred Moments Is Common for Internal Medicine Doctors
THURSDAY, June 5, 2025 -- For internal medicine physicians, experiencing sacred moments (brief periods of meaningful connection between clinician and patient) is common, but...
Dietary Patterns May Be Associated With Depressive Symptoms
WEDNESDAY, June 4, 2025 -- Dietary patterns seem to be associated with depressive symptoms, according to a study published online June 3 in BMJ Nutrition, Prevention &...
Parental Education Tied to Cognitive Function in Middle-Aged, Older Adults
WEDNESDAY, June 4, 2025 -- Parental education may protect offspring's cognitive health later in life, according to a study published online May 30 in JAMA Network...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.