Exercise trials suggest lower anxiety symptoms in children and adolescents
A pooled analysis found a moderate average reduction, with larger effects in studies using more intense exercise.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
Exercise training reduced anxiety symptoms on average in the studies reviewed. This finding concerns symptom scores, rather than the disappearance of an anxiety disorder. Although more intense exercise was linked to larger reductions, the analysis does not establish the best program for an individual child or show how long benefits last.
The authors identified weaknesses in exercise reporting and anxiety measurement. Program lengths and longer-term outcomes are not described in the abstract.
What researchers found
Change in anxiety symptoms
Exercise versus no-treatment controls; assessment timeframe not reported. Standardized mean difference, reported as favoring exercise.
What was pooled
The review pooled symptom changes, including combined treatments only when exercise's separate contribution could be estimated. The average reduction was described as moderate, while individual study estimates varied widely.
Interpreting the intensity finding
A formal moderator analysis found differences by exercise intensity, with larger reductions in moderate- and high-intensity studies. That comparison helps explain variation across studies; it does not provide a directly tested prescription for young people.
The original publication
The Effect of Exercise Training on Anxiety Symptoms in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Trials.
Ligon G, Crombie KM, Herring MP et al.
Scand J Med Sci Sports · 2025
- PubMed ID
- 40965847
- Record checked
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