A new study says children, especially boys, who engage in physical activity are less likely to suffer from mental health disorders later in life.
Researchers examined data from more than 16,000 children born between 1997 and 1999 in Sweden. The data was collected by families, recording daily physical activity details at ages 5, 8, and 11.
At age 11, every hour of daily physical activity recorded was linked to a 12% lower chance of developing a psychiatric diagnosis at age 18. Furthermore, daily movement was found to cut the risk of anxiety by 40% for boys at ages 5 and 11, netted a 19% reduction in depression in boys at age 5, and resulted in a 23% reduction in depression in boys at age 8.
For both boys and girls, physical activity was correlated with a lower chance of depression at age 11.
Looking specifically at organized sports, girls engaged in the activity experienced a 12% lower risk of mental health diagnoses at age 11, while boys in that group saw a 23% reduction.
Researchers of the study said the fact that the children’s daily physical activity levels fell from around 4 hours to 2.5 hours per day between the ages of 5 and 11 represented “a problematic trend.”
Notably, the study found that ages 10 to 12 might represent a critical period for developing resilience to mental health disorders. The team theorized that engaging in physical activity and organized sports could offer protective benefits against developing psychiatric diseases.
The findings from Sweden are not the first time research has reached a similar conclusion. Last year, The Dallas Express detailed a report that found children in good physical health are more likely to develop into adolescents with sharper cognitive abilities and robust mental well-being.