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Sports, Exercise Protects Mental Health Of Growing Kids

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on May 14, 2025.

By Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, May 14, 2025 — Exercise and sports appear to help kids avoid mental health problems as they grow into young adults, a new study says.

Young children who participated in sports teams and physical education classes were less likely to develop problems like depression, anxiety and addiction as they aged into teenagers, researchers reported May 13 in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

For every hour per day a child exercised at age 11, they had a 12% lower risk of being diagnosed with any mental health problem before age 18, results show.

“Physical activity could be used as a strategy for the prevention of mental health problems, especially before and during adolescence, and should spark increased interest among policymakers and motivate healthcare professionals to incorporate physical activity in treatment programs,” concluded the research team led by Dr. Oskar Lundgren, an adjunct associate professor with Linköping University Hospital in Sweden.

For the study, researchers analyzed data on nearly 16,400 children born in Sweden between October 1997 and October 1999.

Parents reported their children’s physical activity levels and organized sports participation at the ages of 5, 8 and 11, and their mental health was tracked up to the age of 18.

In all, 15% of the children were diagnosed with at least one mental health issue, and 4% had three or more.

Results showed clear differences in the benefits of exercise on the mental health of boys and girls.

For example, daily physical activity at age 11 reduced the risk of depression among girls by 18% but by 29% among boys, results show.

The effects of exercise also seemed to take root early in boys, but not girls:

• Boys’ risk of depression was 19% lower at age 5 and 23% lower at age 8.

• Boys’ risk of anxiety was 21% lower at 5 and 39% lower at 11.

• Boys’ risk of addiction was 24% lower at 8 and 35% lower at 11.

These reductions in risk were not seen among girls, researchers said.

Taking part in organized sports lowered risk of a first-time mental health problem for both boys (23% lower) and girls (12%), researchers found.

When looking at specific mental health problems, both boys and girls benefitted from organized sports:

• Anxiety was 21% lower among boys and 14% lower for girls.

• Depression was 35% lower among boys and 11% lower among girls.

• Addiction was 41% lower among girls and 30% lower among boys.

“Physical activity may influence boys and girls in different ways, including changes mediated by different levels of sex hormones,” researchers wrote. “However, these effects might be direct — for example, by influencing brain health and development, or indirect — for example, by reducing subclinical hyperactivity, which is more common among boys.”

Researchers concluded that their “results support the hypothesis that the period just before, and during, the early stages of puberty might represent a sensitive period in which [physical activity] is key to the development of resilience and hardiness.”

In particular, the period between the ages of 10 and 12 represents “a critical window of opportunity,” the researchers wrote.

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

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