What is the clinical evidence from this study?

Study design: Cohort. Population: Emotional and behavioral problems (n=7002). Intervention: Physical inactivity (≤1 h/week of MVPA) vs. Physically active (≥4 h/week of MVPA). Primary outcome: anxious/depressed symptoms in boys (OR 2.9, 95% CI 1.5-5.7).

What does this research mean for the field?

Physical inactivity (≤1 h/week) is associated with higher odds of anxious/depressed symptoms in boys (OR 2.9) and withdrawn/depressed symptoms in girls (OR 2.3) compared to being physically active (≥4 h/week). Novelty: ClaimNovelty.INCREMENTAL. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.NEUTRAL.

September 16, 2008

Emotional and Behavioral Problems in Relation to Physical Activity in Youth

Key Result

Physical inactivity (≤1 h/week) was associated with higher odds of anxious/depressed symptoms in boys (OR 2.9; 95% CI 1.5-5.7) and withdrawn/depressed symptoms in girls (OR 2.3) compared to ≥4 h/week.

Study Design

Type

Cohort (n=7,002)

Structured PICO

Is physical inactivity associated with increased emotional and behavioral problems in adolescents?

Population

7002 adolescents aged 15-16 years from the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1986

Intervention

Physical inactivity (1 hour or less of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity per week)

Comparator

Physically active (4 hours or more of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity per week)

Outcome

Prevalence of emotional and behavioral problems assessed by the Youth Self-Report questionnairepatient reported

Physical inactivity in adolescents is associated with a higher prevalence of self-reported emotional and behavioral problems.

Main Result

Effect estimate: OR 2.9 (95% CI 1.5-5.7)

Abstract

PURPOSE: Physical inactivity is known to be associated with mental health problems in adulthood, but the association in youth is unclear. This study evaluated the association between the level of physical activity and the prevalence of emotional and behavioral problems in Finnish adolescents. METHODS: The study population consisted of the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1986 including 7002 adolescents who responded to a postal inquiry in 2001-2002 at the age of 15-16 yr. They completed the Youth Self-Report questionnaire assessing their emotional and behavioral problems and a questionnaire concerning their moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA). The odds ratios (OR) and their 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for having different emotional and behavioral problems were obtained in 2007 from logistic regression and adjusted for family type, income, parents' education, and body mass index. RESULTS: In boys, physical inactivity (1 h or less of MVPA per week) was associated with anxious/depressed symptoms (OR = 2.9, 95% CI = 1.5-5.7), withdrawn/depressed symptoms (OR = 2.8, 95% CI = 1.8-4.2), social problems (OR = 3.6, 95% CI = 1.8-5.1), thought problems (OR = 2.3, 95% CI = 1.1-5.2), and attention problems (OR = 1.9, 95% CI = 1.0-3.4) when compared to being physically active (4 h or more of MVPA per week). In girls, physical inactivity was associated with withdrawn/depressed symptoms (OR = 2.3, 95% CI = 1.5-3.6), somatic complaints (OR = 1.4, 95% CI = 1.0-1.9), social problems (OR = 3.2, 95% CI = 1.7-6.1), attention problems (OR = 2.1, 95% CI = 1.3-3.2), and rule-breaking behavior (OR = 1.8, 95% CI = 1.3-2.5) compared to being physically active. CONCLUSIONS: Physical inactivity was associated with several emotional and behavioral problems in adolescents. Future research should investigate the mechanisms behind these associations and the effectiveness of physical activity in the treatment of emotional and behavioral problems among young people.

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