TY - JOUR
T1 - Association between cardiorespiratory fitness and depressive symptoms in children and adolescents
T2 - A systematic review and meta-analysis
AU - Alves Donato, Arthur Ney
AU - Waclawovsky, Aline Josiane
AU - Tonello, Laís
AU - Firth, Joseph
AU - Smith, Lee
AU - Stubbs, Brendon
AU - Schuch, Felipe Barreto
AU - Boullosa, Daniel
PY - 2021/3/1
Y1 - 2021/3/1
N2 - 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.
AB - 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.
KW - Adolescents
KW - Cardiorespiratory fitness
KW - Children
KW - Depression
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85099632154&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jad.2021.01.032
DO - 10.1016/j.jad.2021.01.032
M3 - Review article
AN - SCOPUS:85099632154
SN - 0165-0327
VL - 282
SP - 1234
EP - 1240
JO - Journal of Affective Disorders
JF - Journal of Affective Disorders
ER -