Atividades físicas de lazer e transtornos mentais comuns em jovens de Feira de Santana, Bahia

introduction: common mental disorders (cmd) are disorders commonly found in the population. they are a consequence of modern lifestyle. leisure physical activities can reduce tension and therefore help prevent cmds. objective: to estimate the prevalence of cmds among youths who engage and those who do not engage in leisure physical activities in feira de santana (ba), brazil. methods: a cross-sectional, epidemiological study was conducted with 3,597 individuals, including 1,400 young people aged 15-29 years, living in the urban area of feira de santana. leisure physical activities were assessed using a structured questionnaire covering the frequency, type, reason and effort involved in each activity. the self-reporting questionnaire (srq-20) was used to assess cmds. results: the prevalence of cmd was 19.2% among adolescents (15-17 years old), 26.6% among youths (18-24 years), and 27.8% among young adults (25-29 years). in the assessment of leisure activities, 89.9% of the youths reported to regularly engage in some kind of activity; however, engagement in leisure physical activities was observed to reduce with age. a negative association was found between leisure physical activities and cmd (prevalence ratio: 0.59, 95% confidence interval: 0.51-0.67). conclusion: healthcare programs should include actions that encourage leisure physical activities, in view of the contribution of active behavior toward improving mental health.