Data Supporting the Targeting of Healthy Behaviors in Prevention & Mental Health Interventions

Data Supporting the Targeting of Healthy Behaviors in Prevention & Mental Health Interventions

  1. Adolescents who frequently consumed soft drinks and fast-foods are 2.85 times more likely to attempt suicide, followed by youth who ate too few vegetables and fruits (2.43-times) and those who smoked cigarettes and drank alcohol (1.18-times).
  2. Nearly all studies (85%) examining movement behaviors (physical activity, sedentary habits and sleep) and mental health of youth reported a negative association between movement behaviors and mental illness
  3. Meanwhile, most studies (78%) found a positive association between movement behaviors and mental wellness.
  4. Adolescents and young adults who increase their exercise to just once a week have better general health and reduced rates of psychological distress, are happier with life and are more optimistic for the future relative to participants exercising less than weekly. 
  5. Compared with adolescents meeting 1 to 3 health recommendations for diet, physical activity, sleep and sedentary behavior, meeting 7 to 9 recommendations is associated with 56% fewer physician visits for mental illness during follow-up.
  6. Furthermore, every additional recommendation met is associated with 15% fewer physician visits for mental illnesses.
  7. Youth leisure-time moderate-to-vigorous physical activity is associated with better mental health in a dose–response manner.
  8. Even the smallest dose, 30 weekly minutes, islinked to 17% lower odds of chronic stress symptoms compared to inactivity. 
  9. More than 30 min of daily active school transport (biking or walking to school) yielded 19% and 33% higher odds of depression symptoms and school psychologist visits, respectively.
  10. Each additional behavioral recommendation in health-related interventions contributes to positive behavioral and clinical change.
  11. For example, recommending four behaviors willresult in approximately 0.10 SDsof clinical and behavioral improvement over not recommending any behavioral recommendation.
  12. Sixty-one percent (61%) of the studies reported a significant improvement in outcomes related to tobacco (e.g., abstinence, cravings, withdrawal symptoms, smoking pattern), alcohol (e.g., quantity, frequency), or other substance use (e.g., frequency, quantity, recent use) from physical activity participation among youth people at risk for problematic substance use.

Learn more: https://preventionpluswellness.com/blogs/news/targeting-healthy-behaviors-in-prevention-mental-health-interventions

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