Associations between 24-h movement guidelines compliance and anxiety and depression among youth receiving special education services in the US

Background: Youth with disabilities are five times more likely to experience anxiety or depression than peers without disabilities. Engagement in sufficient daily physical activity (PA), adequate nightly sleep, and limited daily screen time (collectively known as 24-h movement guidelines) is associated with lower odds of anxiety and depression for peers without disabilities. Extending the investigation of these modifiable behaviors to youth with disabilities is warranted.

Objective: To estimate the association between meeting 24-h movement guidelines and anxiety and depression among a nationally representative sample of youth with disabilities.

Methods: A cross-sectional secondary analysis of the 2019-2020 NSCH was conducted and included youth 6-17 years old who were currently receiving special education services. Weighted prevalence estimates and logistic regressions were employed to estimate the association between meeting guidelines (separately and combined) and current anxiety or depression status.

Results: Compared to youth with disabilities who met the guideline, those not meeting the sleep or screen time guidelines, independently, had significantly higher odds of depression, or anxiety (aOR range 1.53, 2.31 respectively). Comparable odds were observed between those meeting the PA guidelines, alone or in combination, and those meeting none of the 24-h movement guidelines.

Conclusion: Adequate nightly sleep, and limited screen time, were significantly associated with anxiety and depression among youth with disabilities, a pattern consistent to peers without disabilities. Yet, meeting more than one guideline did not further reduce odds of poor mental health, warranting further investigation of compounding benefits of the 24-h guidelines within this population.