Sticking to sports can help kids adjust
June 4, 2019
Science Daily/University of Montreal
By participating in organized physical activity from the age of 6, children will have less risk of emotional difficulties by the time they're 12, a new study finds.
Thinking of getting your child to take up a sport that involves a coach or instructor? Good news: a new study finds that children who engage in organized physical activity at a young age are less likely to have emotional difficulties by the time they turn 12.
"The elementary school years are a critical time in child development," said Frédéric N. Brière, an Université de Montréal professor of psycho-education who led the study, published this month in Pediatric Research.
"And every parent wants to raise a well-adjusted child."
Besides keeping children from being sedentary, physical activities such as structured sports have the potential to be enriching both physically and mentally, Brière believes, something parents seem to know instinctively.
The study tested that intuitive logic with a large representative population of typically developing Canadian children.
"We followed a birth cohort over time to examine whether consistent participation in organized sport from ages 6 to 10 would minimize risks associated with emotional distress, anxiety, shyness, social withdrawal at age 12," said Brière. "Our goal was to test this question as critically as possible by eliminating pre-existing child or family conditions that could offer an alternative explanation."
To do this, Brière and his team at UdeM's School of Psycho-Education examined data from a cohort of children born in 1997 or 1998 who are part of the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development coordinated by the Institut de la Statistique du Québec. From ages 6 to 10, mothers reported whether their child participated in organized physical activity. At age 12, teachers reported on the child's levels of emotional distress, anxiety, shyness, and social withdrawal at school.
"The results revealed that children who participated consistently from ages 6 to 10 showed fewer instances of those factors at age 12 than their counterparts who did not engage in physical activity in a consistent way," said Brière. "We found these benefits above and beyond pre-existing individual and family characteristics."
His conclusion: "Getting kids actively involved in organized sport seems to promote global development. This involvement appears to be good on a socio-emotional level and not just because of physical benefits. Being less emotionally distressed at the juncture between elementary and high school is a priceless benefit for children, as they are about to enter a much larger universe with bigger academic challenges. This research supports current parental guidelines promoting children's involvement in physical activity."
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/06/190604084842.htm
Mental well-being predicts leisure time physical activity in midlife
Different exercise activities are related to the different dimensions of well-being in midlife
May 3, 2019
Science Daily/University of Jyväskylä - Jyväskylän yliopisto
Men and women with high mental well-being at the age of 42 were more physically active at the age of 50 compared to those who got lower scores in mental well-being at age 42. Different exercise activities are related to the different dimensions of well-being in midlife.
Mental well-being was investigated through three dimensions: emotional, psychological and social well-being. Emotional well-being indicates overall satisfaction with life and a tendency to have positive feelings. Psychological well-being refers to experiences of personal growth and the purpose of life. Social well-being tells about relationships with other people and the community.
It was a surprise that leisure time physical activity did not predict later mental well-being or subjective health, but mental well-being predicted physical activity. It seems that mental well-being is an important resource for maintaining a physically active lifestyle in midlife, says Dr. Tiia Kekäläinen from the Gerontology Research Center and Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, Finland.
Different types of physical activities are good for well-being
Investigation of various leisure time physical activities revealed that different activities are associated with the dimensions of well-being in 50-year-old men and women. Walking was related to emotional well-being, rambling in nature to social well-being and endurance training to subjective health.
"Although exercise did not predict later mental well-being or subjective health in this study, exercise is important for current mental well-being and health," Kekäläinen says.
These associations were found among both men and women, but additionally, rambling in nature was linked to both emotional well-being and subjective health, but only among men.
"It is possible that rambling in nature means different things for men and women. For example, it correlated with the frequency of vigorous exercise only among men," Kekäläinen says.
The data gathered at ages 42 and 50 by questionnaires and interviews for the Jyväskylä Longitudinal Study of Personality and Social Development (JYLS) were used (n = 303). Prof. Lea Pulkkinen started JYLS in 1968 at the Department of Psychology, University of Jyväskylä. Later, JYLS has been moved to the Gerontology Research Center and is led by Research Director Katja Kokko.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/05/190503112740.htm