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SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article
Front. Psychol.
Sec. Sport Psychology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1552531
This article is part of the Research Topic Physical Activity Applied to Learning and Psycho-social Variables in Young People View all 18 articles
Exercise prescriptions for young people's emotional well-being: A systematic review of physical activity intensity, duration, and modality
Provisionally accepted- 1 Department of Education and Social Work, The University of Sydney, Darlington, Australia
- 2 Communist Youth League Committee of Hunan Sports Vocational University, Hunan Sports Vocational University, Hunan, China
- 3 School of Curriculum Teaching & Inclusive Education, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Objective: Physical activity (PA) is beneficial to the body and effective in promoting mental health and social relationships, which is one of the most important ways to enhance the quality of life. This review investigated the effects of PA in intensity, duration, and exercise modality on young people's mood. Methods: Adhering to PRISMA 2020 guidelines, this study conducted a meticulous search across the Web of Science, PubMed, PsycINFO, and Scopus from May to July 2024, and participants aged between 13 and 28 were specified for inclusion in the study. The search yielded 942 titles and abstracts, and subsequent screening according to the criteria led to the inclusion of 20 studies, with 11 focusing on exercise intensity, four on duration, and five on exercise modality. Results: Exercise of different intensities and durations had different effects on mood, with moderate intensity having the most significant effect on mood. In terms of duration, exercise lasting 10-30 minutes was more effective in improving positive mood. In addition, the effects of different modalities of exercise on mood also vary, with current research focusing more on the effects of aerobic exercise on mood. Conclusion: PA can have a positive impact on mental health that varies by intensity, duration, and modality of exercise; moderate intensity and 30 minutes of exercise tend to result in the most positive emotions. More research could be conducted in the future in different anaerobic exercises.
Keywords: physical activity, exercise intensity, Exercise duration, Exercise modality, emotion
Received: 28 Dec 2024; Accepted: 24 Feb 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Huang, Chen and Wong. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Tong Lam Wong, School of Curriculum Teaching & Inclusive Education, Monash University, Melbourne, 3800, Victoria, Australia
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