114. The role of college physical education IN promoting the mental health of college students and preventing obesity

Abstract Background Among the current group of college students, there is a high comorbidity rate between mental health problems and metabolic diseases, with a significant bidirectional maintenance mechanism between depression, anxiety, and obesity. Previous research in the field of psychotherapy has mostly focused on cognitive-behavioral therapy or drug intervention, neglecting the regulation of neurotransmitters by physical movement, while traditional physical education research lacks the depth of clinical psychology intervention. Therefore, it is extremely important to construct a new physical education model that integrates psychological therapy concepts. The main purpose of the study is to combine the dynamic factors in group psychotherapy with aerobic exercise, and verify the clinical value of the integration of sports and medicine in the psychological crisis intervention system of universities. Methods A total of 120 students with mild to moderate depression and severe depression selected from a psychological survey at a certain university were selected as participants in the experiment. They were divided into an intervention group and a control group, with 60 people in each group. The control group maintained regular physical education curriculum teaching, with a focus on free activities and basic skills assessment. The intervention group implemented a 16-week psychological and physical joint intervention program, which integrated Behavioral Activation (BA) and Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) therapy while ensuring exercise intensity, emphasizing physical and mental awareness and group interaction during the exercise process. The evaluation tool uses the Body Mass Index (BMI) to monitor physiological indicators, and uses the Symptom Checklist 90 (SCL-90) to assess mental health levels, with a focus on somatization, interpersonal sensitivity, and depression. Results Experimental data shows that the intervention group is significantly better than the control group in terms of physiological function and psychological symptom improvement. The BMI index of the intervention group decreased from 28.45 kg/m2 before intervention to 24.12 kg/m2, indicating a significant weight loss effect. At the same time, the self-evaluation improvement brought about by the improvement of body shape is directly reflected in the scores of psychological scales. In the SCL-90 scale, the depression factor score of the intervention group decreased from 2.85 to 1.62, and the anxiety factor score decreased from 2.78 to 1.54, both of which returned to the normal level. In contrast, although the control group showed a slight decrease in BMI, the improvement in psychological factors was not statistically significant. If pure physical exertion lacks psychological guidance, it is difficult to reach the underlying emotional crux. Discussion Research has confirmed that the physical education model that integrates psychological therapy elements can not only effectively control obesity among college students, but also be an effective psychological intervention method, with better results than traditional physical education teaching. This model effectively blocks the vicious cycle of obesity and depression by improving body shape and enhancing neuroendocrine regulation function, and has high promotional value. It is recommended that universities break down disciplinary barriers and incorporate targeted sports prescriptions into standardized psychological intervention processes when formulating mental health policies.