Mindful Moves: Exploring The Impact Of Acute Exercise And Meditation On Youth Mood And Affect

PURPOSE: The positive impact of physical activity (PA) on children's health and development is well-documented. However, a decreasing emphasis on PA in school and home environments may contribute to the rising prevalence of mental health issues among youth. As such, the purpose of this ongoing randomized controlled trial is to examine the effects of acute exercise (at light or moderate intensity) and meditation on mood and affect in youth. METHODS: A total of 55 youth participants ages 9-17 (49% females; 30.9% black) were recruited in the Midwest and randomly assigned to undergo a single 30-minute session of (1) moderate-intensity treadmill walking, (2) light-intensity stretching, or (3) a seated meditation session. Pre- and post-session assessments were conducted to measure negative mood, negative affect, and positive affect. Repeated-measures ANOVA examined the effects of condition and time on outcomes. RESULTS: Overall, youth reported significant decreases in negative mood and negative affect and increases in positive affect from pre to post-session (p’s < 0.05; d’s > 0.52). Additionally, there was a significant reduction in depression post-session (p < 0.05; d = 0.38). However, there were no significant main effects of condition or condition x time interaction (p > 0.05). Importantly, no differences were observed for gender, age, or amount of PA recall (last seven days). CONCLUSION: Both acute light and moderate-intensity exercise, alongside meditation, exhibited associations with reduced negative mood and affect coupled with increased positive affect. Additionally, the absence of differences between gender, age, and recent PA levels suggests that all youth may benefit from the antidepressant effects of acute PA. These underscore the potential of PA and meditation-focused interventions in addressing mental health challenges among youth.