Depression has become a current issue that has led many people to endure in this mental illness, “at least one‐quarter of young people will experience an episode of depression before 19 years of age” (Pascoe). These overwhelming statistics in association with more, all just as shocking, yielded this group of researchers to conduct an experiment to see if there was an effect that physical activity has on this prevention of depression. Pascoe and the team began to look at various media to collect eleven scholarly papers that highlighted this possible correlation. After looking in-depth at the various experiments it was concluded that between the ages of twelve and twenty-five “physical activity was found to effectively reduce depressive symptoms in subclinical samples and clinical samples” (Pascoe). These ages that were positively affected are also the common ages of students, therefore, to go beyond the written conclusion Pascoe, “highlight(s) the importance of maintaining and building physical activity and exercise programs in primary, secondary and tertiary education settings.” This statement also supports the previous blog entries that show how physical activity implemented within schools promote academic engagement.
Pascoe, Michaela C., and Alexandra G. Parker. “Physical Activity and Exercise as a Universal Depression Prevention in Young People: A Narrative Review.” Early Intervention in Psychiatry, vol. 13, no. 4, Aug. 2019, pp. 733–739.