The association between healthy lifestyle behaviors and health-related quality of life among adolescents

Abstract

Physical activity, body mass index, and adherence to the Mediterranean diet are important components to consider when targeting improvements in the health-related quality of life of adolescents, with physical activity representing the component with the greatest influence.

The influence of physical activity and eating behaviour on body mass index in children and adolescents: A review the literature

“…Adolescents with normal weight carry out more PA, prefer healthier foods and spend less time in front of screens; these behaviours reflect a healthy lifestyle and are good predictors of quality of life in this population 21 . In their study, Utter, Neumark-Sztainer, Jeffery & Story 26 observed that boys and girls with healthier dietary behaviour spent less time in front of the television, or reported inactivity associated with other habits, such as reading.…”

“…Obesity has a serious effect on adolescents, reducing their quality of life due to the stigma and the social discrimination 21 triggered by not having an 'acceptable' body. Apart from the psychological effects, obesity is also associated with dyslipidaemia 22 , iron deficiency and iron deficiency with anaemia 20 , as well as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and metabolic syndrome 23 .…”

“…Socio-economic level, related with the occupations and incomes of the parents, influences the food intake and PA patterns in the home 14 . Liberona et al 17 and Muros et al 21 report that adolescents from a lower socio-economic level have less access to healthier foods, such as fruit, vegetables, fish and olive oil. Lower-income families consume a smaller proportion of foods rich in protein and fat, which are more expensive, and instead consume more carbohydrate-rich foods 17 .…”

“…The regular practice of physical activity, adherence to healthy nutritional habits and proper body composition are agreed to be related with the promotion and/or maintenance of the quality of life in children, adolescents and adults 21 . Diet does not appear to be the principal cause of weight gain, while low levels of PA do appear to be the most important determinant of obesity 14,21 . Moschonis et al 18 say that the practice of moderate physical activity for 45 minutes per day is able to diminish significantly the blood concentration of fats in children and adolescents.…”

Comparação da aptidão física e qualidade de vida entre adolescentes praticantes e não praticantes de esporte

“…Several studies have analyzed the relationship between practice of physical activity, physical fitness, QoL perception and its influence on the life of the adolescent individual [11][12][13] . However, comparative studies between adolescents engaged and those not engaged in after-school sports activities verifying how much sport can contribute to variables physical activity, physical fitness and quality of life, are still scarce.…”