Abstract
<p>Adolescence is marked by simultaneous declines in mental health and the everyday health behaviours that support it. Whether the pathway adolescents take through changing constellations of physical activity, diet, and sleep carries information about mental health over and above their current constellation, remains unclear. We used three annual waves of #BeeWell data (N = 42,944; School Years 8 to 10; ages 12–15) collected from two English regions from 2021 to 2025 to estimate a Random Intercept Latent Transition Analysis of physical activity, fruit and vegetable consumption, and sleep. A four-class solution was replicated at each wave, distinguishing Healthy, Low PA with Good Diet, High PA with Poor Diet, and Unhealthy classes, with equivalent classes becoming marginally less healthy over time. Year 10 class predicted concurrent internalising symptoms (Unhealthy vs Healthy d = .18) however, once Year 10 class was accounted for, the pathway by which adolescents arrived there contributed little additional information. Findings from the current study suggest that what adolescents do now matters, but the path they took may not. Health-reinforcing behaviours remain worth pursuing based on the effects of endpoint alone.</p>