Physical and Mental Health in Adolescence: Novel Insights from a transdiagnostic examination of FitBit data in the ABCD Study
Year: 2023
Type: preprint
Abstract: Adolescence is among the most vulnerable period for the emergence of serious mental illnesses. Addressing this vulnerability has generated interest in identifying markers of risk for symptoms and opportunities for early intervention. Physical fitness has been linked to psychopathology and may be a useful risk marker and target for early intervention. New wearable technology has made assessing fitness behavior more practical while avoiding recall and self-report bias. Still, questions remain regarding the clinical utility of physical fitness metrics for mental health, both transdiagnostically and along specific symptom dimensions. The current study includes 5007 adolescents (ages 10 to 13) who participated in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study and additional sub-study that collected fitness data from wearable technology and clinical symptom measures. Physical fitness metrics included resting heart rate (RHR- an index of cardiovascular health), time spent sedentary (associated with increased inflammation and cardiovascular disease), and time spent in moderate physical activity (associated with increased neurogenesis, neuroplasticity, and healthy neurodevelopment). Self-report clinical symptoms included measures of internalizing symptoms, externalizing symptoms, and psychosis-like experiences - PLE). Increased RHR- lower cardiovascular fitness- related only to greater internalizing symptoms (t = 3.63). More sedentary behavior related to elevated PLE severity (t = 5.49). More moderate activity related to lower PLE (t=-2.69) and internalizing (t=-6.29) symptom severity. Wearable technology fitness metrics linked physical health to specific mental health dimensions, which emphasizes the utility of detailed digital health data as a marker for risk and the need for precision in targeting physical health behaviors to benefit symptoms of psychopathology.
Source: Research Square
Institutions: Northwestern University, University of Bern
Language: English
Topic: Physical Activity and Health
Subfield: Physiology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
Awards: Exercise and markers of medial temporal health in youth at-risk for psychosis, Frontal-Subcortical Development, Movement Abnormalities, and Risk for Psychosis, Exercise and markers of medial temporal health in youth at-risk for psychosis, 2/3 Community psychosis risk screening: An instrument development study, Northwestern University Mental Health, Earlier: Transdiagnostic, Transdisciplinary, Translational Training Program in Neurodevelopmental Mechanisms of Psychopathology
OpenAlex ID: W4387299974