By Katrina RoeThursday 19 May 2011Health and WellbeingReading Time: 1 minute
How active are your kids? We all know that exercise is good for our physical health but increasingly its becoming associated with improved mental health.
Perhaps more surprising is the fact that levels of activity in childhood can even influence future mental health. A new study suggests that children who are more active are less likely to be depressed as adults.
Dr Felice Jacka is the author of the report, published in The Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport , which showed that low physical activity in children was associated with a 35% higher risk of developing depression in adulthood.
Dr Jacka says childhood is a period of rapid brain development and physical activity in early life may have beneficial effects on the developing brain.
Listen Now – Hear Dr Felice Jacka explain the link between childhood activity and later depression.
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