Teenage depression symptoms can be defied by light exercise, according to a new study published in the journal Lancet Psychiatry.
The study "Depressive symptoms and objectively measured physical activity and sedentary behaviour throughout adolescence: a prospective cohort study" revealed that 60 minutes of simple movement daily at age 12 can reduce teenage depression symptoms at age 18 by an average 10%.
These physical activities include running, walking, biking, doing chores, painting, or playing a musical instrument.
Researchers analyzed data from the University of Bristol's Children of the '90s study. The study has been monitoring 14,500 women and their children for 30 years, from pregnancy onward.
Under such observation, 4,257 adolescents wore accelerometers to trace their movements at ages 12, 14 and 16 over a three-day period. The instruments would record whether the child moved or remained sedentary for at least 10 hours each day.
"It's not just more intense forms of activity that are good for our mental health," said Aaron Kandola, the study's lead author and a PhD student in psychiatry at University College London.
"Worryingly, the amount of time that young people spend inactive has been steadily rising for years," Kandola said. "But there has been a surprising lack of high quality research into how this could affect mental health."
Promote exercise
"A lot of initiatives promote exercise in young people, but our findings suggest that light activity should be given more attention as well," said senior author Dr. Joseph Hayes, a psychiatrist and clinical research consultant at University College London.
Meanwhile, a clinical questionnaire used to evaluate depressive symptoms and their severity on a spectrum revealed that each additional hour of sitting at age 12 was responsible for an 11% increase in depression scores at age 18. Other potential sources of depression are family background, social media, and peer pressure.
"Schools could integrate light activity into their pupils' days, such as with standing or active lessons," Hayes added. "It doesn't require much effort and it's easy to fit into the daily routines of most young people."
