Linking physical activity and mental health: Meta analysis of school-based interventions in children

Devi Prasad; Vinodhini Chinnaswamy; Manoranjan Dash; B. Madhana; Ravi Kumar; Abhishek Singla

doi:10.31893/multirev.2025ss0422

Keywords:

psychological well-being

exercise programs

sedentary behavior

physical exercise

Abstract

Significant issues with low stages of physical activity, sedentary behavior, and mental health illnesses have been identified throughout the past decade. The objective of this meta-analysis and systematic review is to assess the impact of treatments on the mental health of children and teens that target inactive or physically inactive behavior at school. Studies focusing on the broad demographics of children and teens between the ages of 5 and 20 years were eligible for inclusion as long as they addressed a variety of school-related initiatives to encourage exercise or discourage sedentary behavior. A total of 5,122 distinct studies were found in the literature search, and 13 publications reporting 13 treatments were eventually included in the review. The results showed that programs for physical exercise at school had a substantial favorable impact on resilience. Treatments that encourage physical exercise at school reduce anxiety, increase resilience, promote health, and enhance psychological well-being. The variability of the research necessitates caution. For better comprehension, future studies should offer specific operational data.
References
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

How to cite

Prasad, D., Chinnaswamy, V., Dash, M., Madhana, B., Kumar, R., & Singla, A. (2025). Linking physical activity and mental health: Meta analysis of school-based interventions in children. Multidisciplinary Reviews, 8, 2025ss0422. https://doi.org/10.31893/multirev.2025ss0422

[1] Adab, P., Barrett, T., Bhopal, R., Cade, J. E., Canaway, A., Cheng, K. K., … Passmore, S. (2018). The West Midlands ActiVe lifestyle and healthy Eating in School children (WAVES) study: A cluster randomised controlled trial testing the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a multifaceted obesity prevention intervention programme targeted at children aged 6–7 years. Health Technology Assessment, 22(8), 1–180. https://doi.org/10.3310/hta22080

[2] Altunkurek, S. Z., & Bebis, H. (2019). The effects of wellness coaching on the wellness and health behaviors of early adolescents. Public Health Nursing, 36(4), 488–497. https://doi.org/10.1111/phn.12608

[3] Andermo, S., Hallgren, M., Nguyen, T. T. D., Jonsson, S., Petersen, S., Friberg, M., … Elinder, L. S. (2020). School-related physical activity interventions and mental health among children: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Sports Medicine – Open, 6(1), Article 25. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40798-020-00254-x

[4] Ardic, A., & Erdogan, S. (2017). The effectiveness of the COPE healthy lifestyles TEEN program: A school-based intervention in middle school adolescents with 12-month follow-up. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 73(6), 1377–1389. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.13217

[5] Breslin, G., Shannon, S., Rafferty, R., Fitzpatrick, B., Belton, S., O’Brien, W., … Brennan, D. (2019). The effect of Sport for LIFE: All Island in children from low socio-economic status: A clustered randomized controlled trial. Health and Quality of Life Outcomes, 17(1), Article 112. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12955-019-1133-x

[6] Brignell, A., Krahe, M., Downes, M., Kefalianos, E., Reilly, S., & Morgan, A. (2021). Interventions for children and adolescents who stutter: A systematic review, meta-analysis, and evidence map. Journal of Fluency Disorders, 70, 105843. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfludis.2021.105843

[7] Bruni, T. P., Drevon, D., Hixson, M., Wyse, R., Corcoran, S., & Fursa, S. (2017). The effect of functional behavior assessment on school-based interventions: A meta-analysis of single-case research. Psychology in the Schools, 54(4), 351–369. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.22007

[8] Calestine, J., Bopp, M., Bopp, C. M., & Papalia, Z. (2017). College student work habits are related to physical activity and fitness. International Journal of Exercise Science, 10(7), 1009–1020.

[9] Carroll, N., Sadowski, A., Laila, A., Hruska, V., Nixon, M., Ma, D. W. L., … Guelph Family Health Study. (2020). The impact of COVID-19 on health behavior, stress, financial and food security among middle to high income Canadian families with young children. Nutrients, 12(8), 2352. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12082352

[10] Christiansen, L. B., Lund-Cramer, P., Brondeel, R., Smedegaard, S., Holt, A. D., & Skovgaard, T. (2018). Improving children’s physical self-perception through a school-based physical activity intervention: The Move for Well-being in School study. Mental Health and Physical Activity, 14, 31–38. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mhpa.2017.12.005

[11] Creswell, C., Waite, P., & Hudson, J. (2020). Practitioner review: Anxiety disorders in children and young people—Assessment and treatment. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 61(6), 628–643. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.13186

[12] Deady, M., Choi, I., Calvo, R. A., Glozier, N., Christensen, H., & Harvey, S. B. (2017). eHealth interventions for the prevention of depression and anxiety in the general population: A systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Psychiatry, 17(1), Article 310. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-017-1473-1

[13] Halliwell, E., Jarman, H., Tylka, T. L., & Slater, A. (2018). Evaluating the impact of a brief yoga intervention on preadolescents’ body image and mood. Body Image, 27, 196–201. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2018.10.003

[14] Luna, P., Guerrero, J., & Cejudo, J. (2019). Improving adolescents’ subjective well-being, trait emotional intelligence and social anxiety through a programme based on the sport education model. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(10), 1821. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16101821

[15] Moore, B., Woodcock, S., & Dudley, D. (2019). Developing wellbeing through a randomised controlled trial of a martial arts-based intervention: An alternative to the anti-bullying approach. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(1), 81. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16010081

[16] Odgers, K., Dargue, N., Creswell, C., Jones, M. P., & Hudson, J. L. (2020). The limited effect of mindfulness-based interventions on anxiety in children and adolescents: A meta-analysis. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 23(3), 407–426. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10567-020-00319-z

[17] Olive, L. S., Byrne, D., Cunningham, R. B., Telford, R. M., & Telford, R. D. (2019). Can physical education improve the mental health of children? The LOOK study cluster-randomized controlled trial. Journal of Educational Psychology, 111(7), 1331–1344. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000338

[18] Resaland, G. K., Aadland, E., Moe, V. F., Kolotkin, R. L., Anderssen, S. A., & Andersen, J. R. (2019). Effects of a physical activity intervention on schoolchildren’s health-related quality of life: The Active Smarter Kids (ASK) cluster-randomized controlled trial. Preventive Medicine Reports, 13, 1–4. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2018.11.002

[19] Rodriguez-Ayllon, M., Cadenas-Sánchez, C., Estévez-López, F., Muñoz, N. E., Mora-Gonzalez, J., Migueles, J. H., … Esteban-Cornejo, I. (2019). Role of physical activity and sedentary behavior in the mental health of preschoolers, children and adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Sports Medicine, 49(9), 1383–1410. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-019-01099-5

[20] Ruiz-Ariza, A., Suárez-Manzano, S., López-Serrano, S., & Martínez-López, E. J. (2019). The effect of cooperative high-intensity interval training on creativity and emotional intelligence in secondary school: A randomised controlled trial. European Physical Education Review, 25(2), 355–373. https://doi.org/10.1177/1356336X17739271

[21] Savulich, G., Piercy, T., Fox, C., Suckling, J., Rowe, J. B., O’Brien, J. T., & Sahakian, B. J. (2017). Cognitive training using a novel memory game on an iPad in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI). International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology, 20(8), 624–633. https://doi.org/10.1093/ijnp/pyx040

[22] Shannon, S., Brennan, D., Hanna, D., Younger, Z., Hassan, J., & Breslin, G. (2018). The effect of a school-based intervention on physical activity and well-being: A non-randomised controlled trial with children of low socio-economic status. Sports Medicine – Open, 4(1), Article 16. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40798-018-0129-0

[23] Smith, M., Hosking, J., Woodward, A., Witten, K., MacMillan, A., Field, A., … Mackie, H. (2017). Systematic literature review of built environment effects on physical activity and active transport: An update and new findings on health equity. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 14(1), Article 158. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-017-0613-9

[24] Soga, M., Cox, D. T. C., Yamaura, Y., Gaston, K. J., Kurisu, K., & Hanaki, K. (2017). Health benefits of urban allotment gardening: Improved physical and psychological well-being and social integration. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 14(1), 71. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph14010071

[25] Van den Berg, V., Salimi, R., De Groot, R. H. M., Jolles, J., Chinapaw, M. J. M., & Singh, A. S. (2017). “It’s a battle… You want to do it, but how will you get it done?”: Teachers’ and principals’ perceptions of implementing additional physical activity in school for academic performance. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 14(10), 1160. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph14101160

[26] Williams, T. L., Ma, J. K., & Martin Ginis, K. A. (2017). Participant experiences and perceptions of physical activity-enhancing interventions for people with physical impairments and mobility limitations: A meta-synthesis of qualitative research evidence. Health Psychology Review, 11(2), 179–196. https://doi.org/10.1080/17437199.2017.1299027

[27] Wu, X. Y., Han, L. H., Zhang, J. H., Luo, S., Hu, J. W., & Sun, K. (2017). The influence of physical activity and sedentary behavior on health-related quality of life among the general population of children and adolescents: A systematic review. PLOS ONE, 12(11), e0187668. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0187668

[28] Yook, Y. S., Kang, S. J., & Park, I. (2017). Effects of physical activity intervention combining a new sport and mindfulness yoga on psychological characteristics in adolescents. International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 15(2), 109–117. https://doi.org/10.1080/1612197X.2015.1069878

Abstract

References

How to cite