To celebrate the Child and Adolescent Mental Health journal’s 25th anniversary, we have released the 25 top cited articles of all time*! All papers are freely available online for you to read.
Number 9 of 25 is…
Review: A systematic review of the impact of physical activity programmes on social and emotional well‐being in at‐risk youth
David R. Lubans, Ron C. Plotnikoff, Nicole J. Lubans
First Published: 19 September 2011
Key Practitioner Message
- Physical activity programmes have the potential to improve social and emotional well‐being in at‐risk youth, but more rigorous trials are needed to evaluate their effectiveness
- As none of the studies included long‐term follow‐ups (i.e. >12 months), it remains untested whether the benefits associated with participation in physical activity programmes are sustained once youth return to their daily routines
- The quality of existing studies is poor and has not improved since earlier reviews
- Physiological and psychosocial factors may explain the beneficial effects of physical activity programmes on social and emotional well‐being in at‐risk youth
- Clinicians working with at‐risk youth are encouraged to consider specific physical activity programmes to support social and emotional well‐being and general health in this group
* as of December 2019
