ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the role of physical activity in improving mental health outcomes and how such improvements not only support children’s well-being but also promote learning. It identifies several challenges to conducting research related to mental health outcomes that help with understanding results and recommendations. Many children suffer from various forms of trauma or adverse childhood experiences that have been shown to be associated not only with negative academic outcomes but also negative health outcomes in adulthood. All children may display emotion and behavior difficulties from time to time at school. Emotion and behavior continue to influence achievement even when socioeconomic status, intelligence, and parenting quality have been statistically accounted for or controlled. Children with depressive behavior are also likely to have problems with anxiety, as anxiety disorders are often diagnosed along with major depressive disorder. Children and adolescents who engage in more physical activity have been shown to have lower levels of cortisol and higher levels of serotonin.
