Sport England has published a new report that shows there is "strong and consistent evidence that sport and physical activity interventions had positive effects on the diagnosed mental health problems of children and young people".
‘Children and Young People’s Mental Health and Physical Activity’ has been produced by Edge Hill University.
Previous research has shown the positive impact of being active on children’s general wellbeing, but there had been little documented evidence on the role of sport and physical activity in the treatment of diagnosed mental health conditions in children and young people.
Edge Hill was commissioned to undertake an independent evidence review, in which they collated and reviewed existing research from across 143 studies to assess the strength of evidence.
A consistent picture emerged of the effectiveness of different types of exercise in treating and managing young people’s mental health conditions.
The results will better inform decision-making on children and young people – one of the five ‘big issues’ in the Uniting the Movement strategy – as well as providing recommendations for sport and physical activity providers, policymakers and researchers.
Head of children and young people, Liz Aitken, said: "We’re pleased to be able to share the results of Edge Hill University’s independent review, which presents a wealth of information and evidence in one place for the first time.
"The findings will allow us and our partners to talk authoritatively about the relationship between physical activity and young people with a diagnosed mental health condition.
"We look forward to working with the sector to support more young people with their mental health and wellbeing through being active."
The report highlights there is a need to improve the amount and quality of research evidence on the use of different types of sport and physical activity interventions in real-world settings, and for more diverse groups of children and young people with a wider variety of mental health conditions.
