FRIDAY, Oct. 18, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Physically fit children are more likely to grow up as teenagers with good mental health and brain function, a new study finds.
According to the researchers, children who performed better in shuttle sprints scored better on cognitive tests as teenagers.
Additionally, results show that improved cardiorespiratory fitness during early childhood led to lower levels of stress and depression in teenagers.
“Our findings should encourage policy makers, parents and guardians to take a more holistic view of the importance of physical fitness. Reduced physical fitness increases mental health problems and reduces the cognitive needs needed for learning. Because it can impair skills,” said lead researcher and senior lecturer Eero Haapala. Majored in Sports and Exercise Medicine at the University of Jyväskylä, Finland.
In the study, researchers tracked the physical fitness of 241 Finnish children for eight years, from childhood to adolescence. Physical fitness tests were compared to children’s thinking ability and mental health scores.
The findings, recently published in the journal Sports Medicine, showed that healthier children report less stress and depression as teenagers.
Researchers say this may be because children with better physical health have higher self-esteem and greater mental resilience.
However, the researchers cautioned that children who spend a lot of time on screens may find the physical fitness benefits to be a bit blunted.
“Society as a whole should support the development of physical fitness in children and adolescents by increasing their participation in physical activity at school, in leisure time, and in hobbies,” Haapala concluded in a university news release.
Detailed information
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more information about the benefits of physical activity for children.
Source: University of Jyväskylä, news release, October 15, 2024
