Association between vigorous physical activity and life satisfaction in adolescents

Abstract

PurposeThe association between overall physical activity (PA) and life satisfaction has been confirmed in adolescents. However, the associations between different forms of PA at various intensities and life satisfaction are under-studied. This study aimed to explore the association between vigorous PA (VPA) and life satisfaction, and whether the associations vary by gender and age.MethodsUsing data from the Health Behavior in School-aged Children (HSBC) investigation, the research samples of 11- to 15-year-old adolescents were included for further. The information on VPA was collected via two self-reported questions, including frequency per week and hours per week. Life satisfaction was assessed by a ladder of 0–10 scores, with being higher indicating better life satisfaction. Logistic models were carried out to analyse the association between VPA and life satisfaction among adolescents, and results were presented with odd ratio (OR) and associated 95% confidence interval.ResultsAmong the 214,080 (49.2% male) adolescents studied, both boy and girl participants reporting higher frequency of VPA per week were more likely to be associated with higher life satisfaction (e.g., in boys, VPA for every day: OR = 1.054; in girls: VPA for every day: OR = 1.047). More hours of VPA was also associated with better life satisfaction in adolescents (in overall sample, 7 h or more: OR = 1.178).ConclusionsIn conclusion, this research provided evidence on the roles of VPA on life satisfaction among adolescents aged 11–15. Considering life satisfaction is regarded as an indicator of adolescents' psychological health development, our study supports and extends the evidence for the importance of VPA in adolescence.

Role of Satisfaction with Life, Sex and Body Mass Index in Physical Literacy of Spanish Children

“…Furthermore, multiple research works have demonstrated a link between LS and various domains [34,35,83,86], which is consistent with the findings which revealed a positive association between LS and each of the PL domains. Daily physical activity and LS have been linked in several groups [34,35], particularly in children and young people [36]. Similarly, in the domain of physical competence, Rosa Guillamón et al [83] discovered that children with higher levels of physical fitness and physical exercise practice had higher levels of LS [87][88][89].…”

“…In addition to these benefits, several studies have established a strong relationship between physical activity and life satisfaction [34][35][36], showing that schoolchildren and adolescents who engaged in more hours of physical activity tended to feel more satisfied with their lives [37,38].…”

Satisfacción Vital y Adolescencia en la Educación Física Española (Life Satisfaction and Adolescence in Spanish Physical Education)

“…Sin embargo, se puede encontrar evidencia en estudios como el de Corder et al (2015) en el que se muestra que los perfiles de actividad empeoran notablemente durante la transición a la adolescencia donde se llegan a reemplazar hasta cuarenta minutos de actividad física por actitudes sedentarias. A pesar de ello, se han encontrado hallazgos en los que existe una relación entre la mayor frecuencia de actividad física vigorosa y la SV en adolescentes, independientemente del género (Feng et al, 2022). Asimismo, también existe una relación entre la actividad física y una mejor percepción de la salud y el estado físico, así como niveles más bajos de síntomas depresivos y niveles más altos de SV en estudiantes (Piko y Keresztes, 2006;Reigal el al., 2012).…”