Sports, fitness can bolster mental health, White House council says
Organized sports and concentrated physical activity can help young people cope with stress threatening their mental health, members of the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition and other health officials said May 28 at the National Press Club.
"Right now, there's a mental health crisis in our nation," Douglas Emhoff, husband of Vice President Kamala Harris, said at the Club Headliners event. "One in five teenagers report difficulty with anxiety or depression."
Covid-19, social media, gun violence and climate anxiety contribute to the crisis, Emhoff said.
"Physical activity can also boost mental health,” Emhoff said. “It enhances mood and self-esteem. It helps us better manage our mental well-being, and how we connect with others, and how we get through our days."
The event featured Emhoff, members of the Council, partner organizations and government health officials. Club President Emily Wilkins moderated a panel discussion.
Brandon Gassaway, director of social responsibility for the National Basketball Association, which works with the Council, explained the role pro athletes can play in the effort to promote fitness. Using an example from his childhood, he said that if his mom or a teacher told him to focus on something, he might pay attention.
“But if [the late Los Angeles Lakers great] Kobe Bryant said it, I would listen," Gassaway said.
Adm. Rachel Levine M.D., assistant secretary for health in the Department of Health and Human Services, highlighted the recent addition of the 988 hotline -- a telephone, text, and chat line for people experiencing mental health crises that connects directly to trained counselors.
The service “is a resource for mental health challenges" before they reach crisis stage, Levine said.
People with disabilities often do not get the same access to fitness activities offered to others, said Feranmi Okanlami, a doctor and director of adaptive sports and fitness at University of Michigan. He uses a wheelchair because of a spinal-cord injury he suffered as a young adult.
"I did not recognize how inaccessible our world was, and how inaccessible our health care system was" until he became disabled, said Okanlami, who participates on the Council.
The Council addresses the nation’s physical and mental health challenges including obesity, access to healthy foods, depression, bullying and body shaming. It sponsors the National Youth Sports Strategy and promotes healthy eating and physical activity for all people, regardless of background or ability.
May is National Physical Fitness and Sports Month and Mental Health Awareness Month. President Joe Biden renewed the Council by executive order through September 30, 2025.