Adolescent movement behaviour profiles are associated with indicators of mental wellbeing

Recent work has demonstrated the collective impact of daily movement behaviours on mental health outcomes, however, positive aspects of mental health have received much less attention. The purpose of this study was to identify unique adolescent movement behaviour profiles and determine whether profile membership is associated with differences in mental wellbeing. This study used data from the baseline assessment of the ADAPT study. A total of 1166 Canadian adolescents enrolled in grade 11 classes (M age = 15.91 ± 0.48; 54% female) self-reported their movement behaviours – moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), recreational screen time (ST) and sleep – and completed three measures of mental wellbeing: flourishing, self-esteem and resiliency. Latent profile analysis with distal outcomes comparisons were conducted. Four distinct profiles were identified: one healthy profile (high MVPA/low ST), two mixed behavioural profiles (low MVPA/low ST and high MVPA/high ST), and one profile considered to be the least healthy (low MVPA and high ST). Sleep patterns were similar across the profiles. The healthiest profile was consistently associated with better mental wellbeing, followed by the mixed behaviour profiles, and the least healthy profile had the poorest scores for mental wellbeing. These findings highlight the additive benefits of engaging in a full complement of healthy movement behaviours. Moving forward, behavioural interventionists should consider adopting an integrated approach to promoting mental wellbeing through targeting each of the movement behaviours concurrently.