Observational Longitudinal Association Between Waking Movement Behaviours and Psychological Distress Among Adolescents Using Isotemporal Analysis: DADOS Study

This study aimed to examine the impact of reallocating time spent in waking movement behaviours at baseline on indicators of psychological distress at 24-month follow-up using isotemporal substitution regression models among a sample of Spanish adolescents. The DADOS (Deporte, ADOlescencia y Salud) study is a 3-year longitudinal observational research project carried out between years 2015-2017. The analyses included 197 adolescents (91 girls) aged 13.9 ± 0.3 years at baseline. Waking movement behaviours were assessed by a wrist-worn GENEActiv triaxial accelerometer and expressed as minutes/day of light physical activity (LPA), moderate-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and time spent in sedentary behaviour (SB). The Behaviour Assessment System for Children and Adolescents (level 3 for adolescents) was used to assess psychological distress indicators (i.e., anxiety, social stress, and risk of depression). Results showed significant associations only for girls. The substitution of 10 min/day of SB or LPA at baseline with 10 min/day of MVPA was associated with lower levels of anxiety (both  ≤ 0.01) and social stress (both  < 0.05) at follow-up. The substitution of 10 min/day of SB with 10 min/day of LPA was associated with higher levels of anxiety at follow-up ( = 0.01). These findings highlight the need of specific physical activity recommendations for mental health paying special attention to sex-differences.