New Study: Physically active children are less likely to develop depression
According to a team of Norwegian researchers, physically active children are less prone to developing symptoms of depression.
In addition to lowering the risk of obesity, those who engage in moderate to vigorous amounts of physical activity regularly (this means some amount of sweating and an increased heart rate) during childhood can greatly reduce the risk of depression cropping up later in life. While this may seem like common sense to many – getting out and about will improve your mood and mental wellbeing, where’s the news in that? – the results have been confirmed by a study conducted by researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) and published in the journal Pediatrics this month.
To reach this conclusion, the researchers did their study on 795 children aged 6 to 10 years. Using accelerometers (sensors for measuring the intensity of activity), they assessed their physical activity, and then surveyed their parents about their children’s mental health.
Results from the study
At the end of the observation period, it was found that children who were particularly active between 6 and 8 years had fewer signs of depression at the age of 10.
“This is an important finding suggesting that physical activity can be used to prevent and treat depression already in childhood,” says Silje Steinsbekk, associate professor in the psychology department at NTNU.
Nevertheless, the he added that the results should be further investigated and tested in randomised studies. In particular, increasing the level of physical activity of children and comparing the depressive symptoms of volunteers with those of children who do not participate.
Although the study did not establish a direct causal relationship between sedentariness and depression, Steinsbekk concluded that parents must take into account the study data and encourage younger children to engage in regular physical activity to limit any possible risk.
Laura Gabrieli
Photo: Getty Images
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