Sports activities and mental distress in young people in deprived urban areas in South America: a cross-sectional analysis

Madero S.; Brusco L.I.; Diez-Canseco F.; Gómez-Restrepo C.; Olivar N.; Flores-Kanter P.E.; Flores S.; Vilela-Estrada A.L.; Flórez-Varela Á.; Uribe Pinto M.E.; Stanislaus Sureshkumar D.; Fung C.; Priebe S. · BMC Research Notes (2025) · DOI: 10.1186/s13104-025-07288-y

Resumen

Objective: To explore the association between sport activities and depression/anxiety symptoms among young people in disadvantaged urban areas of South America. Results: Out of a total of 2375 participants, 1131 (47.1%) had engaged in sports in the previous month. Sports activities, particularly those performed with others, were associated with lower anxiety and depression. There was a trend for this association to be stronger in male than in female participants. © The Author(s) 2025.

Instituciones: Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia