Decades-long study showcases positive link between sports and children's mental health
CTV
A study in the Netherlands shows how important sports and physical activity is for younger children and proves the positive impacts carry on into adult life.
A decades-long study in the Netherlands is proving how beneficial sports and physical activity are for young children and how the impacts can last into adult life.
The report published in March 2023 showcases the positive outcome that physical activity has on children from a young age and how it can help their overall mental health later in life. The findings were published in JAMA Journal of Psychiatry.
The study is part of a longer-term project called "Generation R" led by the University of Rotterdam. It is an ongoing population-based project that researches people from their birth to young adulthood in urban populations in the Netherlands.
Participants were born between April 2002 and January 2006 and over the course of their lives participate in ongoing check-ins.
For this study, 4,216 children were asked questions at ages six, 10 and 13 years old. About 50 per cent were girls.
At the first visit (age six) and third (age 13) researchers assessed psychiatric symptoms using the Child Behaviour Checklist. At the second visit (age 10) researchers assessed neurobiological mechanisms of the brain.
At age 10, the participants were also tested for psychological mechanisms including self-esteem, body image and friendship. Behavioural mechanisms completed at the second visit included sleep quality, diet and recreational screen time.
