Health Resources
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Regular physical activity improves school performance and mental health
Recommended Readings and Resources
“Is Greater Access to Youth Sport the Key to Eliminating Physical Activity Disparities?”
JAMA Network Open — November 25, 2024
This agent-based modeling study simulated U.S. youth (ages 6–17) to evaluate the impact of reducing disparities in physical activity (PA) and sports participation—particularly between boys and girls.
It’s findings included: equalizing sports participation between sexes could avert 41,499 cases of overweight/obesity by age 18 and prevent 8,939 cases of weight‑related diseases over their lifetimes, this shift could save approximately $1.55 billion in medical expenses, even reducing PA disparities (without equalizing sports) would save about 28,061 cases of overweight/obesity and $780 million, and the study emphasizes the need for targeted investments—from policymakers, schools, and communities—to promote equitable sports access and PA, especially among girls
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2827024?utm_source=chatgpt.com
“Physical activity and its benefits on adolescents' mental health through self-esteem”
Front. Child Adolesc. Psychiatry, 15 December 2024
A Frontiers in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry paper followed 294 adolescents (ages 12–17) from summer 2020 to winter 2021 and found that higher weekly physical activity led to increased self-esteem, which in turn significantly reduced psychological distress six months later.
This study underscores the pathway: exercise → better self-esteem → improved mental health, even amid stressful periods like the COVID-19 pandemic.