Prädiktoren von regelmäßiger sportlicher Aktivität, Sportvereinsmitgliedschaft und mentaler Gesundheit von Jugendlichen – Ergebnisse der für Deutschland repräsentativen Move For Health-Studie

The number of adolescents with reduced quality of life and mental health problems has stabilized at a high level (Ravens-Sieberer et al. 2023a). Reviews suggest that physical activity (PA) and mental health are positively associated (Kohake et al. 2024), indicating the potential of PA for mental health promotion. However, studies indicate that certain inequality characteristics influence both physical activity and health (Kuntz et al. 2018).

As part of the Move For Health project funded by the BMFSFJ, representative data on PA (regular PA; club membership) of adolescents and their mental health was collected across Germany for the first time in twelve years. Associations between PA and mental health, and the meaning of vertical (e.g., parent’s education, poverty) and horizontal inequality characteristics (e.g., age, gender, migration background, family situation, physical impairment) with PA and mental health were examined in 1978 adolescents (13–17 yrs; M = 15.0, SD = 1.4; female: 51.2%). Inequality characteristics that have been little studied to date (e.g. special education need) were also taken into consideration. The results show that PA and mental health are weakly correlated. A lower level of parental education, receiving state support, having special education needs, having no full-time employment in the family, and an older age reduce the likelihood of being physically active. Receiving state support, special education needs, and being female reduce the likelihood of good mental health. Longitudinal studies are needed to investigate the direction of the relationship between PA and mental health. Interventions to promote physical activity and mental health should be targeted at less active target groups and not follow the “one-fits-all” principle.