Cardio fitness was measured by the time it takes for a student to complete an 800-meter run, while muscle endurance was evaluated by the number of sit-ups performed. Muscle power was assessed through the standing broad jump. The study found that an increase of five sit-ups per minute was associated with a lower risk of anxiety and mental health disorders in boys.
In girls... the same increase was linked to reduced risk of depression and anxiety. Previous research on the link between physical and mental health has relied heavily on questionnaires and self-reported data. However, "this study utilized independent assessments and objective standards to evaluate physical fitness." This approach provides a more accurate representation of the relationship between physical fitness and mental health.
The study is not dated specifically... but the concept of the link between physical and mental health has been recognized for many years.

In The News:
The risk of mental health disorder was weighted against three metrics for physical fitness: cardio fitness, as measured by a student's time in an 800-meter run; muscle endurance, indicated by the number of situps performed; and muscle power, measured by the standing broad jump.
An increase of five situps per minute was associated with lower anxiety and risk of the disorder in boys, and with decreased risk of depression and anxiety in girls.
Physical and mental health were already assumed to be linked, they added, but previous research had relied largely on questionnaires and self-reports, whereas the new study drew from independent assessments and objective standards.
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