The Daily Mile reduces depressive and anxiety symptoms in school-going Ugandan adolescents aged 16-17.

Introduction: school-based physical activity (PA) programs such as The Daily Mile (TDM) might be vital in the prevention and treatment of mental health problems in adolescents in low-income countries. The aim of this single-arm non-controlled pilot intervention study was to investigate TDM on symptoms of anxiety and depression in adolescents aged 16-17 years in Uganda.

Methods: The Daily Mile (TDM) took place between February and April 2022. In total 177 adolescents (62.7% girls) completed the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 Questionnaire (GAD-7) pre and post-12 weeks TDM.

Results: moderate effect sizes were found for reductions in PHQ-9 (Cohen´s d=-68, 95% CI=-0.84 to -0.52, P<0.001) and GAD-7 (Cohen´s d=-0.54, 95%CI=-0.68 to -0.38, P<0.001) following TDM. In those with at least mild symptoms, large effect sizes were observed for reductions in PHQ-9 (Cohen´s d=-0.94, 95%CI=-1.14 to -0.72, P<0.001) and GAD-7 (Cohen´s d =-0.85, 95% CI=-1.07 to -0.62, P<0.001) following TDM. The prevalence of mild depression dropped from 70.1% to 50.8% and moderate depression from 28.2% to 15.3%, while the prevalence of mild anxiety dropped from 54.8% to 38.4%, and moderate anxiety from 21.5% to 10.7% (all P<0.001). Rates of severe depression and anxiety did not drop significantly.

Conclusion: The Daily Mile (TDM) might potentially reduce mild and moderate symptoms of anxiety and depression in school-going adolescents in low-income countries such as Uganda. For more severe cases, additional support is needed.