THE INFLUENCE OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY ON THE MENTAL HEALTH OF SCHOOL-AGE CHILDREN

Abstract

Mental health is an increasingly pertinent topic today, particularly concerning young people of school age. Various factors influence the mental well-being of young people, and regular physical activity has been an intervention tool in this process. In light of this, the present study aims to understand the influences that a physical activity program can have on the mental health of school-aged youth between 10 and 18 years old, through a bibliographic review of the main works related to the theme and the audience in question. The method employed for the study involved analyzing 9 selected articles from a total of 696, sourced from three databases: PubMed, SciELO, and BVS. The review's main finding was that physical activity is positively associated with mental health. Intervention programs both inside and outside the school environment demonstrated significant advances in reducing mental disorders, improving interpersonal relationships, and enhancing body image perception, thereby showing that physical activity is an essential tool in the development of the target audience.