SynthesisFrontiers in psychology2026
Effects of physical activity interventions on mental health in children and adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analysis of intervention type and baseline risk as moderators.
Synthesis in Frontiers in psychology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- School-based physical activity and adolescent mental health: candidate psychological mechanisms, contextual moderators, and unresolved controversies.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Review
- Multilevel socioecological correlates of physical activity, flourishing, and depression in children and adolescents: a structured evidence synthesis.Frontiers in public health · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Mental health problems among children and adolescents are an increasing public health concern, and physical activity has attracted attention as a scalable non-pharmacological intervention. However, the effects of physical activity may vary according to intervention content and participant characteristics, and clearer evidence is needed to guide the selection and implementation of interventions. Methods: The protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD420251182579) and the review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines for systematic reviews and meta-analyses. The search was conducted in PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO, the Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and SPORTDiscus. Eligible studies included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and quasi-experimental studies. Two reviewers independently performed study selection, data extraction, and risk-of-bias assessment. Standardized mean differences (SMDs) were pooled using a random-effects model, with prespecified subgroup, sensitivity, and publication-bias analyses. Results: A total of 24 studies were included in the qualitative synthesis, of which 23 contributed 38 effect-size estimates to the meta-analysis. Physical activity interventions were associated with a small but statistically significant improvement in mental health outcomes (SMD = 0.19, 95% CI: 0.09-0.30; Conclusion: Physical activity interventions were associated with small but significant improvements in mental health among children and adolescents. The findings suggest potentially larger benefits for mind-body interventions and for youth with elevated psychological risk, although these subgroup findings should be interpreted cautiously. These results support the targeted use of structured physical activity programs in school, public health, and early prevention settings. Systematic review registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD420251182579, identifier: CRD420251182579.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.