Association between Active Travel to School and Depressive Symptoms among Early Adolescents

Abstract

Background: Although much evidence has demonstrated the positive relationship of active school travel (AST) and physical health, little is known about the relationship of AST and mental health indicators among early adolescents, especially in Chinese populations. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the relationship of AST with depressive symptoms and its sex as well as age difference among early adolescents from Shanghai urban areas, China. Methods: 6478 adolescents (mean age = 13.6) in urban area were recruited, of whom boys accounted for 46.2%. A self-reported questionnaire in Chinese was used to collect data on AST and depressive symptoms, and other control variables. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to explore the relationships of AST with depressive symptoms. Results: Of all included participants, 53.2% of adolescents reported being active in AST without sex difference. The prevalence of depressive symptoms was 19.2% without sex difference. AST was associated with reporting no depressive symptoms in adolescents (adjusted OR = 1.20, 95%CI: 1.06–1.36). However, the relationship was significant in boys (adjusted OR = 1.34, 95%CI: 1.11–1.60), in those who were grade 8 (adjusted OR = 1.25, 95%CI: 1.01–1.55) and 9 (adjusted OR = 1.29, 95%CI: 1.01–1.65) adolescents. Conclusions: AST may play an important role in preventing depressive symptoms among early adolescents. However, the relationship of AST with depressive symptoms differed by sex and age. More research is encouraged to explore the mechanism linking AST and depressive symptoms among adolescents, especially in different contexts.

Active school travel is associated with fewer suicide attempts among adolescents from low-and middle-income countries

“…Despite little supportive and comparable evidence, some plausible explanations for promising results can be posited in the given context. First, AST has been shown to negatively associate with depressive symptoms among adolescents ( Gu and Chen, 2020 , Sun et al, 2015 ), and there is evidence to suggest that the presence of depressive symptoms is an important predictor of attempted suicide. Collectively, AST may result in exercise-induced physiological changes ( Bell, Audrey, Gunnell, Cooper, & Campbell, 2019 , Dore et al, 2020 ) that are associated with improved emotion regulation ability that could alleviate depressive symptom, which in turn makes the odds for suicide attempts lower ( Andermo et al, 2020 , Lin et al, 2020 ; Vancampfort, Hallgren et al, 2018 ).…”

“…It is well-known that AST is associated with numerous physical health benefits among youths such as improvements in, or maintenance of, body composition and cardiorespiratory fitness ( Lubans, Boreham, Kelly, & Foster, 2011 , Schoeppe, Duncan, Badland, Oliver, & Curtis, 2013 ). Recently, both Eastern and Western researchers have started to investigate the association of AST with mental health outcome, suggesting that children and adolescents engaging in AST have lower odds of developing mental problems like depression ( Gu and Chen, 2020 , Sun et al, 2015 ). Because of the potential psychological benefits resultant from AST ( Edward et al, 2017 ), especially in reducing depression which is one of the key predictors of suicide attempts ( Klonsky et al, 2016 ), it is conceivable that AST could be an effective approach in regulating such predictors (e.g., depression, anxiety, and loneliness) that are closely associated with greater odds of suicide attempts among children and adolescents ( Aubert et al, 2018 , Koyanagi et al, 2019 , Pengpid and Peltzer, 2019 , Sharma et al, 2015 ), leading to a reduced probability of committing suicide.…”

Active School Travel Is Associated with Fewer Suicide Attempts Among 127, 097 Adolescents Aged 13 to 17 Years from 34 Low-and Middle-Income Countries

“…AST among adolescents has long been bene cially associated with numerous physical and mental health outcomes [16][17][18][19], and our study provides further insights into the potential prevention of suicide attempts resultant from poorer mental health outcomes. In LMICs, there is an informative need for promotion and encouragement of AST because of its accessibility and availability.…”

Active School Travel is Associated With Fewer Suicide Attempts Among 127, 097 Adolescents Aged 13 to 17 Years From 34 Low-and Middle-income Countries

“…Despite little supportive and comparable evidence, some plausible explanations for promising results can be posited in the given context. First, AST has been shown to negatively associate with depressive symptoms among adolescents [18,19], and there is evidence to suggest that the presence of depressive symptoms is an important predictor of attempted suicide. Collectively, AST may result in exercise-induced physiological changes [31,32] that are associated with improved emotion regulation ability that could alleviate depressive symptom, which in turn makes the odds for suicide attempts lower [9,33,34].…”

“…It is wellknown that AST is associated with numerous physical health bene ts among youths such as improvements in, or maintenance of, body composition and cardiorespiratory tness [16,17]. Recently, both Eastern and Western researchers have started to investigate the association of AST with mental health outcome, suggesting that children and adolescents engaging in AST have lower odds of developing mental problems like depression [18,19]. Because of the potential psychological bene ts resultant from AST [20], especially in reducing depression which is one of the key predictors of suicide attempts [21], it is conceivable that AST could be an effective approach in regulating such predictors (e.g., depression, anxiety, and loneliness) that are closely associated with greater odds of suicide attempts among children and adolescents [22][23][24][25], leading to a reduced probability of committing suicide.…”