Associations between meeting 24-hour movement guidelines and mental well-being among Chinese adolescents in high-density cities

Abstract

Adolescents living in high-density cities may face a unique set of mental health challenges due to exposure to environmental stressors and academic pressure from competition for limited educational opportunities. It is still unclear towards the integrated effects of sufficient physical activity, reduced recreational screen time and adequate sleep duration on improving mental health and well-being among adolescents living in high-density cities. The present study aimed to investigate the associations between meeting 24-h movement guidelines and mental well-being in Chinese adolescents living in high-density cities. A total of 816 Chinese adolescents (Mage = 14.77 years, SD = 0.81) completed a self-administrated questionnaire comprising 24-h movement behaviors, mental well-being, and covariates. Linear mixed-effects models were used to for data analyses. Findings of the current study indicated that there was a positive association between the number of guidelines being met and mental well-being in adolescents after adjusting for covariates. Compared to not meeting any guidelines, adolescents who met the sleep and physical activity guidelines, or the physical activity and screen time guidelines, or all the three guidelines had a positive association with adolescent mental well-being. Our findings enhance our understanding of the relationship between compliance with 24-h movement guidelines and mental well-being among adolescents living in high-density cities.