{"id":10413,"date":"2025-07-07T21:26:18","date_gmt":"2025-07-07T13:26:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/?p=10413"},"modified":"2025-07-07T21:26:20","modified_gmt":"2025-07-07T13:26:20","slug":"exercise-eases-depression-and-anxiety-in-kids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/exercise-eases-depression-and-anxiety-in-kids\/","title":{"rendered":"Exercise eases depression and anxiety in kids"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>With more than\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thelancet.com\/journals\/lanpsy\/article\/PIIS2215-0366(24)00361-4\/abstract\">three-quarters of children and teens experiencing depression or anxiety<\/a>, parents are desperate for effective solutions. Now,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/40239946\/\">new research<\/a>\u00a0from the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.unisa.edu.au\/\">University of South Australia<\/a>\u00a0shows that something as simple as regular exercise could be a powerful intervention to support young people\u2019s mental health.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the largest meta-meta-analysis of 375 clinical trials involving more than 38,000 young people, UniSA researchers found that when children took part in structured exercise programs, their symptoms of depression and anxiety improved. Specifically, the study found that:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Anxiety<\/strong>\u00a0improved most through low-intensity, resistance exercises, such as light weights or gentle circuit activities.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Depression\u00a0<\/strong>improved most through moderate-intensity, mixed-mode and resistance training, including circuits that combine aerobic and strength programs, particularly in programs lasting less than three months.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The biggest improvements in depression symptoms occurred in programs lasting fewer than 12 weeks, suggesting that benefits can emerge relatively quickly \u2013 especially for children aged 12 and over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>No significant differences were seen among the frequency of exercise sessions per week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Children with depression and ADHD also showed the greatest improvements from exercise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lead researcher, UniSA\u2019s Dr Ben Singh says the findings present parents with a non-invasive, low-cost solution to combat poor mental health in kids.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cDepression and anxiety are among the most prevalent mental health issues affecting children and<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>teenagers worldwide,\u201d Dr Ben Singh says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cEvidence-based treatment guidelines often recommend cognitive behaviour therapy and antidepressants as first-line interventions, yet 40-60% of children don\u2019t receive treatment or fail to gain sufficient benefits, so we clearly need alternatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cExercise is a low-cost, widely accessible strategy that could make a real difference to children\u2019s mental health. And while people know that exercise is generally good for your health and wellbeing, there is little evidence that shows how exercise works for kids nor the types of exercise that might work better than others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOur study draws together global evidence to show that gentle, light-intensity exercise is highly effective in reducing anxiety in children and teens, while medium-intensity programs that combine resistance and aerobic training \u2013 like circuits with weights \u2013 can counteract depression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cImportantly, it demonstrates how exercise is an effective, accessible, lifestyle intervention that can immediately improve mental health issues in children, without first defaulting to medicines.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Senior researcher, UniSA\u2019s Prof Carol Maher says the findings reiterate the importance of exercise for mental health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cExercise should be a core part of mental health care for children and teens, whether at school, in the community, or clinical settings,\u201d Prof Maher says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cShort, structured programs that include strength training or a mix of activities seem especially promising, but simply exercising, even for short amounts of time will deliver benefits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAnd for parents, rest assured \u2013 you certainly don\u2019t need to fork out money for a gym membership or training program; play-based activities, games, and sport are all valuable forms of movement that can support mental wellbeing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe key message is simple: get active and keep active. Even short bursts of movement can make a real difference to a child\u2019s mental health and wellbeing \u2013 especially for those who are struggling\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When children took part in structured exercise programs, their symptoms of depression and anxiety improved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":10414,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[802,19,20,2053],"class_list":["post-10413","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wellness-2","tag-exercise","tag-health","tag-wellness","tag-youth"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10413","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10413"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10413\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10415,"href":"https:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10413\/revisions\/10415"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10414"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10413"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10413"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10413"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}