Physical Activity, Mentorship, and Mental Health in Adolescents Living in Washington, DC: Teens Run DC.

Background: Mental health is a serious concern among US adolescents. We examined the role of a combined running/mentorship program, Teens Run DC (TRDC), on self-reported indicators of mental health in high-school students (N = 291) living in Washington, DC.

Methods: The TRDC program was offered in 10 high schools across 7 DC wards between 2010 and 2018. We used a quasi-experimental design within each school to determine the relation between dose of the TRDC program, and indicators of depression, and social connectedness in students who did and did not participate in the program. Data were collected at the beginning and end of each school year, using the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression in Children scale and the Hemingway Social Connectedness scale. Mixed-effect regression modeling examined the dose-response relationship between participation dose and mental health scores.

Results: High school students who completed at least 2 years of TRDC lowered their Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression in Children scale score by 6 points (β = -5.9; 95% CI, -10.7 to -1.0) and had a 69% lower odds of developing symptoms of clinical depression (odds ratios = 0.31; 95% CI, 0.23 to 0.42), compared with students receiving less than one year. Similarly, students with 2 or more years of TRDC increased their overall Hemingway Social Connectedness score by 8 points (β = 7.9; 95% CI, 0.65 to 15.1), relative to those with less than one year of exposure. The benefits of TRDC were especially pronounced in female students.

Conclusion: These findings indicate that a running/mentoring program has substantial mental health benefits for high school students and this is particularly so for teenage girls.