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Twenty minutes of housework 'boosts mental health'

10/04/2008

Just 20 minutes of housework a week could improve mental health, researchers claim today.

Scientists from University College London (UCL) say housework is just one of the many types of activity that could boost mental wellbeing.

Walking, gardening and sporting activities for 20 minutes a week can also help.

People taking part in sport are most protected from mental ill health, with a 33 per cent lower risk of distress.

The study is published today in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

The UCL researchers analysed responses from the Scottish Health Survey, which polled about 20,000 men and women about their state of mind and how much weekly physical activity they engaged in.

Over 3,000 participants were deemed to be suffering from stress or anxiety.

The researchers say they found "strong associations" between physical activity and reduced odds of psychological distress.

The more activity a person indulged in, the lower were their chances of psychological distress.

"Our findings… are largely consistent with reports from previous population studies, although it is difficult to make direct comparisons with our data because of the differences in measures of mental health and assessment of physical activity," the researchers conclude.