Prospective associations between adherence to 24-hour movement guidelines and mental well-being in Chinese adolescents.

Most evidence regarding the relationships between adherence to 24-hour movement guidelines and adolescent mental health have been derived from cross-sectional studies or have ignored positive mental health indicators. The current prospective study examined the associations between adherence to 24-hour movement guidelines and changes in mental well-being among Chinese adolescents over three months. 816 Chinese adolescents ( M age  = 14.76 years; SD  = 0.81) completed baseline and follow-up scales of 24-hour movement behaviours, mental well-being, and covariates. Linear mixed-effects models were used for data analyses, with adjustments for covariates and mental well-being at baseline. There was a significant improvement in mental well-being across the three months, and the improvement in mental well-being was positively associated with meeting any single guidelines and both physical activity and sleep guidelines but not adherence to all three guidelines. Meeting both physical activity and sleep recommendations appears to exert more significant benefits on mental well-being than meeting one or two other recommendations. An integrative approach to mental health promotion by focusing on 24-hour movement behaviours (at least physical activity and sleep) may be more effective than focusing on a single behaviour alone.