This study investigated the relationship between physical fitness metrics (resting heart rate, sedentary time, and moderate physical activity) and mental health symptoms (psychosis-like experiences, internalizing symptoms, and externalizing symptoms) in 5070 adolescents (ages 10–13) from the ABCD study. Lower cardiovascular fitness (higher resting heart rate) correlated with greater internalizing symptoms. More sedentary behavior was linked to higher psychosis-like experience severity, while more moderate activity was associated with lower psychosis-like experiences and internalizing symptom severity. These findings highlight the potential of wearable technology data for identifying mental health risks and guiding interventions.

Katherine S F Damme, Teresa G Vargas, Sebastian Walther, Stewart A Shankman, Vijay A Mittal