Details

Research: Move to improve! The link between physical activity and mental health

University students are increasingly grappling with mental health challenges, including anxiety and depression, often exacerbated by academic pressures and lifestyle changes. This research recognises the potential of physical activity as a mitigating factor and found a strong link between higher physical activity levels and improved mental health outcomes – including lower levels of anxiety/depression, and enhanced emotional wellbeing. The more students engaged in movement, the better they felt overall, with notable improvements in mood, behavioural control, and resilience. These findings add to a growing body of evidence supporting the role of physical activity in safeguarding student wellbeing. Embedding physical activity into campus culture, through inclusive programs, supportive infrastructure, and health-focused initiatives, presents a scalable and cost-effective strategy to enhance mental health outcomes and academic performance across the student population.

Citation: Mohammad, A., Turki, A., Investigation of the relationship between mental health and physical activity among university students. Frontiers in Psychology, Volume 15, 2025. (link)

More Articles in Healthy Campus Projects

Research: Alcohol and Sexual Risk-Taking on Campus

Harmful alcohol use among university students can intersect with other behaviours that increase health risks, including sexual risk-taking. Led by the University of Southern Queensland, researchers analysed data from 3,325 sexually active students studying at Australian universities to examine patterns of alcohol use and sexual risk-taking among Australian-born domestic, overseas-born domestic and international students. Australian-born […]

Research: Food Insecurity Is Also a Mental Health Issue

Food insecurity is an increasing concern for university students, with potential consequences extending beyond nutrition to mental health and eating behaviours. Researchers from the University of Wollongong and collaborating institutions surveyed 348 Australian university students to examine relationships between food insecurity, psychological distress and disordered eating risk. Almost two-thirds (63%) experienced some level of food […]

FISU Healthy Campus Program Signatories

Keep up to date

Interested in Healthy Campus Content? Sign up to our exclusive mailer.

Join the community

Stay up to date with Healthy Campus news from Australia and around the world.
UniSport acknowledges and pays respect to all traditional custodians of the lands of which we run, jump and throw throughout Australia. We pay respect to elders both past, present and emerging.
Copyright © 2026 UniSport. All Rights Reserved.