Association between physical activity and mental health among 10-year-old children

Abstract Mental health problems of children and young people have become a public health concern globally. Physical activity (PA) is known to have many benefits for mental health, but more evidence is still needed on how different dimensions of mental health and PA are linked with each other among children. The present cross-sectional study with a sample (n = 872, 48 % girls) from the Finnish CHILD-SLEEP birth cohort was used to investigate the association between PA and different dimensions of mental health among 10-year-old children. Data were collected with a questionnaire from parents. Mental health was measured with Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) using the subscales of hyperactivity, conduct problems, emotional problems, peer relations and prosocial behavior. PA was measured with two single-item questions regarding the number of days per week with at least 60 minutes PA and the amount of time per week spent engaged in moderate-to-vigorous PA. Kruskal Wallis test was used as a statistical method. The preliminary findings showed that the more days per week children were physically active at least 60min a day, the higher the level of prosocial behavior (p<.001) and the fewer emotional (p=.006), conduct (p=.010) and peer problems (p<.001) reported by the parents. Higher number of weekly hours of moderate-to-vigorous PA was associated with lower SDQ total difficulties score (p<.001). The level of prosocial behavior was the lowest in the group with the lowest level of vigorous PA (p=.019). Among boys, a dose-response relationship was found with every dimension of mental health, indicating higher levels of PA to be associated with better mental health. Among girls, similar relationship was found in subscales of peer relations (p<.001) and prosocial behavior (p=.007). The study highlights the positive relationship between higher levels of PA and better mental health in children while also revealing gender differences. Key messages • Physical activity is associated with lower levels of mental health symptoms and higher levels of prosocial behavior among 10-year-old children. • There are gender differences in the relationship between physical activity and mental health.