Association between cardiorespiratory fitness and depressive symptoms in children and adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Donato, Arthur and Waclawovsky, Aline and Tonello, Lais and Firth, Joseph and Smith, Lee and Stubbs, Brendon and Schuch, Felipe B. and Boullosa, Daniel (2021) Association between cardiorespiratory fitness and depressive symptoms in children and adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Affective Disorders, 282. pp. 1234-1240. ISSN 1573-2517

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Abstract

Background: Higher cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is associated with lower depressive symptoms in adults. However, no systematic review with meta-analysis assessed the cross-sectional associations between CRF and depressive symptoms in children and adolescents. Therefore, this meta-analysis assessed the relationship between CRF and depressive symptom in these populations. Methods: Cross-sectional data evaluating the correlation between CRF and depression were searched, from database inception through 21/05/2020, on PubMed, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and SPORTDiscus. Age, sex, CRF and depression assessments, and correlations were extracted. A random-effects meta-analysis was conducted, and the potential sources of heterogeneity were also explored through meta-regression analysis. Results: Across 14 effects of 11 unique studies, including a total of 7,095 participants (median age=12.49) with nearly equal sex distribution (median=53% females), it was found that higher CRF was associated with lower depressive symptoms in children and adolescents (r =-0.174, 95%CI -0.221 to -0.126, p<0.001, I2=75.09, Q value=52.19). No moderators were identified. Conclusion: Available evidence supports the notion that higher CRF is inversely associated with depressive symptoms in children and adolescents. Physical activity and exercise interventions targeting improving CRF should be promoted for these populations. Further studies, including clinical populations, should be conducted to assess objective measures of aerobic fitness and body composition, while controlling for puberty status, to better characterize this association.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Keywords:	cardiorespiratory fitness, depressive symptoms, young people, Meta-analysis
Faculty:	Faculty of Science & Engineering
SWORD Depositor:	Symplectic User
Depositing User:	Symplectic User
Date Deposited:	12 Jan 2021 16:24
Last Modified:	15 Jan 2022 02:02
URI:	https://arro.anglia.ac.uk/id/eprint/706167

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