Anxiety, characterised by the worried thoughts and feelings of tension, is a common psychological problem that can be debilitating and interfere with the normal daily functioning. A 6-year prospective cohort study revealed that adolescents who had an additional 60-minutes of sedentary behaviour at ages 12, 14 and 16 were positively correlated with the higher anxiety score at age 18. It was also demonstrated that substituting an hour of daily sedentary behaviour for light activity during adolescence was associated with a 12-16% reduction in anxiety symptoms at age 18, whereas no association between moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and anxiety was found. Hence, instead of focusing on moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, replacing daily sedentary behaviour with light activity during adolescence may be more beneficial in reducing future anxiety symptoms.

Keywords: Anxiety, adolescence, sedentary behavior, physical activity

Reference

Kandola A, et al. Psychol Med 2020; 1-10.