The Interplay Between Physical Activity and Psychological, Social, and Perceived Health in Juvenile Corrections Facilities

Abstract

ABSTRACT Physical activity (PA) and its contributions to wellbeing are understudied among incarcerated youth. We used 2019 Minnesota Student Survey data to describe PA rates and test PA’s associations with indicators of psychological, social, and perceived health for adolescents in juvenile corrections facilities (JCFs). Participants (n = 265, 29% female, m age = 15.4 years) self-reported days of 60 min of PA in the previous week. They also reported how often they experienced joy and energy and built trusting peer relationships, as well as how they perceived their overall health and symptoms of anxiety and depression. We calculated descriptive statistics and tested PA’s associations with psychological, social, and perceived health variables among the full sample, then stratified by sex, with unadjusted and age-adjusted models. Female and male youth averaged over 5 days of 60 min of PA. PA was positively, significantly associated with experiencing joy and energy, building trusting peer relationships, and having better perceived health, though sex-related differences emerged. PA was unassociated with anxiety and depression. Results suggest PA rates are high in JCFs, though quality remains unclear. While PA is positively associated with certain developmental outcomes for incarcerated youth, PA alone seems insufficient for mitigating their mental health concerns.