Associations between physical fitness and mental health among german adolescents

Exercise has positive benefits for various physiological and mental health aspects. Physical activity has been demonstrated to be connected with mental health markers such as depression, anxiety, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or self-worth. Recent studies have also shown fitness, specifically cardio vascular fitness, as a promising marker for depression. Furthermore, body composition seems to be associated with anxiety and ADHD. To replicate and therefore verify these first findings in adolescents, we examined physical fitness parameters (cardiovascular fitness, strength and body composition) regarding its connection to mental health (depressive symptoms, anxiety and inattention hyperactivity problems) among N = 511 German adolescents. Results revealed higher scores in anxiety as well as in hyperactivity inattention for adolescents with low levels in physical strength. Although the relatively young sample, relations between physical fitness (strength) and mental health parameters were found. Further research could benefit by focusing the relation and underlying, developmental mechanisms between fitness and mental health and monitoring of these associations over time in growing adolescents could yield important information.