Targeting Healthy Behaviors in Prevention & Mental Health Interventions

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By: Erica Stokes

Community Service Board of Middle Georgia (CSBMG) understands the critical role that healthy behaviors play in the prevention of substance use and the improvement of mental health among youth. Research underscores the importance of integrating multiple health behavior interventions to achieve these goals.

Benefits of Multiple Health Behavior Interventions

Recent studies highlight the need for comprehensive interventions that address various aspects of healthy living. These interventions have proven more effective in preventing youth substance use and enhancing mental health than those targeting a single risk factor (Prevention Plus Wellness, 2024).

  1. Diet and Mental Health: Adolescents who frequently consume soft drinks and fast foods are 2.85 times more likely to attempt suicide compared to their peers. Those who consume too few vegetables and fruits are 2.43 times more likely, and those who smoke cigarettes and drink alcohol are 1.18 times more likely (Prevention Plus Wellness, 2024).
  2. Movement Behaviors: A significant proportion of studies (85%) report a negative association between movement behaviors (physical activity, sedentary habits, and sleep) and mental illness. Conversely, 78% of studies find a positive association between these behaviors and mental wellness (Prevention Plus Wellness, 2024).
  3. Exercise and Mental Health: Adolescents and young adults who exercise at least once a week experience better general health, reduced psychological distress, increased happiness, and greater optimism compared to those who exercise less frequently (Prevention Plus Wellness, 2024).
  4. Health Recommendations: Meeting multiple health recommendations (diet, physical activity, sleep, and sedentary behavior) significantly reduces physician visits for mental illnesses. Each additional recommendation met is associated with a 15% reduction in these visits (Prevention Plus Wellness, 2024).
  5. Physical Activity and Stress: Youth engaging in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity during leisure time show better mental health in than those who do not engage. Even 30 minutes of weekly activity can lower the odds of chronic stress symptoms by 17% compared to inactivity (Prevention Plus Wellness, 2024).
  6. Active School Transport: More than 30 minutes of daily active transport (biking or walking to school) is linked to lower odds of depression symptoms and school psychologist visits (Prevention Plus Wellness, 2024).
  7. Behavioral Interventions: Each additional behavioral recommendation in health-related interventions contributes to positive behavioral and clinical outcomes. For instance, recommending four behaviors or actions results in approximately 0.10 standard deviations of improvement over recommending none (Prevention Plus Wellness, 2024).
  8. Substance Use and Physical Activity: Sixty-one percent of studies report significant improvements in outcomes related to tobacco, alcohol, or other substance use from physical activity participation among at-risk youth (Prevention Plus Wellness, 2024).

Alarming Trends in Youth Mental Health

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) National Survey on Drug Use and Health revealed that almost one-third of U.S. teens received mental health treatment in 2023. This statistic underscores the urgent need for prevention specialists to address both substances use and promote healthy lifestyle behaviors that improve mental health (SAMHSA, 2023).

These healthy behaviors include regular physical activity, healthy eating, adequate sleep, and stress management. Unfortunately, these behaviors are lacking in three out of four U.S. adolescents (SAMHSA, 2023).

Prevention Plus Wellness Programs

Prevention Plus Wellness (PPW) offers information on a range of topics, including alcohol and drug prevention, marijuana, vaping, opioids, and overall wellness. (Prevention Plus Wellness, 2024).

For more information, visit Prevention Plus Wellness.

Additionally, information on CSBMG’s Child, Adolescent, and Emerging Adult programs can be found on the CSBMG website (www.csbmg.com).

References

Prevention Plus Wellness. (2024). Targeting healthy behaviors in prevention & mental health interventions. Retrieved from https://preventionpluswellness.com/blogs/news/targeting-healthy-behaviors-in-prevention-mental-health-interventions

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2023). Almost one-third of teens received mental health treatment in 2023. Retrieved from https://drugfree.org/drug-and-alcohol-news/almost-one-third-of-teens-received-mental-health-treatment-in-2023/?utm_campaign=almost-one-third-of-teens-received-mental-health-treatment-in-2023%2F&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8JeHaWkL31ESv3y-8SII-XwAXJZya6IugTSFT-Wf5XsTTQ7cSTIqYQZDUsaQ3SAjoeAvvMU6dFjCpvsO5_DJqfOD6HQZGJCAS9YvwTSbqHqWN3zW4o

 

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