A review of the evidence
Exercise to improve self-esteem in children and young people
Ekeland E, Heian F, Hagen KB, Abbott J, Nordheim L
The Bottom Line:
There is evidence that exercise has positive short term effects on the self-esteem of children and youth in general, and in children and youth who were at risk for problems at home or school. No negative side effects of the interventions were found. |
What problem is being addressed?
Self-esteem is an important contributor to healthy child development. Children who regard themselves positively tend to get along better with others, do better in school and develop more stable relationships as adults. They develop a greater sense of competence and hope for the future, and are less likely to suffer from anxiety or depression.
Because depression and anxiety can have such a devastating impact on the quality of life and one’s life prospects, there is great interest in anything that might prevent the occurrence of these conditions, rather than wait until there is a problem in need of treatment. If exercise can be found to improve self-esteem, it may be that it can also lessen the likelihood of children becoming depressed or anxious.
What intervention is being tested?
Exercise programs that target children and youths aged 3 to 20 with the specific purpose of improving their self-esteem. The authors looked at both stand-alone programs and exercise as a component of a more comprehensive program. The exercises included running, swimming, ball games and moderate-to-high intensity outdoor play, as well as weight/strength training.
What is the real scientific evidence?
All studies were randomized controlled trials lasting 4 or more weeks and that used standardized tests to measure self-esteem. The review examined 23 studies with a total of 1,821 participants. Some of the trials compared exercise alone to no intervention; others compared exercise as part of a comprehensive program to no intervention.
Despite factors that limited the strength of the evidence (small numbers of participants and different methodologies making it difficult to combine results), the findings showed that exercise can improve self esteem in children and youths in the short term.
Exercise was found to be particularly beneficial to those at risk for the development of mental health problems because of their negative behaviours, their social situation, or because of physical, intellectual, or learning disabilities.
The preceding is a summary of:
Ekeland E, Heian F, Hagen KB, Abbott J, Nordheim L. Exercise to improve self esteem in children and young people. The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2004, Issue 1. Art. No.: CD003683.pub2. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD003683.pub2.
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