Physical activity and health-related quality of life in children and adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Abstract

Physical activity is associated with broad physical and psychological benefits in children and adolescents. One construct which may universally characterize functioning across various pediatric populations is health-related quality of life (HRQOL). A number of studies have found positive associations between physical activity and HRQOL; however, to date no systematic review and meta-analysis of physical activity and HRQOL has successfully quantified effects in children and adolescents. A systematic search of PubMed, PsycINFO, and ProQuest Dissertation Abstracts identified 1081 relevant, non-duplicate articles. Out of these possible articles, 33 studies, including both descriptive and pre-post intervention designs, met inclusion criteria and were included in effect size analyses. In descriptive studies, there was a small, positive effect of physical activity on HRQOL based on child-reports (Hedge's g = .302, p < .001) and a negligible effect based on parent-proxy reports (Hedge's g =.115, p =.101). In intervention studies, there was a small, positive effect of physical activity intervention on HRQOL based on child-reports (Hedge's g = .279, p = .014) and a medium, positive effect based on parent-proxy reports (Hedge's g = .522, p = .012). However, effects are attenuated by removal of a single intervention study. Overall, these findings supported the primary hypothesis that increased levels of physical activity would be related to better HRQOL in youth, although the magnitude of these effects did not represent a minimal clinically important difference (MCID) in most studies. Hypothesized moderators, including chronic disease status, weight status, sex, and study rigor, did not significantly moderate the relationship between physical activity and HRQOL. Exploratory analyses did not find intervention contact hours or age to moderate the effect of exercise on HRQOL. Future studies are needed to assess HRQOL in youth before and after high-quality exercise interventions to quantify the type, frequency, iv duration, and intensity of physical activity needed to change HRQOL to a clinically meaningful level. Although effects were small and analyses were limited, this study represents the first meta-analysis of physical activity and HRQOL across pediatric populations and may serve as a guide for future studies.

Association between Lifestyle Behaviors and Health-Related Quality of Life in a Sample of Brazilian Adolescents

“…Adequate sleep has been associated with better HRQoL [ 9 ]. Additionally, recent reviews showed that physical activity [ 6 , 10 , 11 ] and screen time [ 12 ] have been positively and negatively related to HRQoL, respectively, and sports practice has shown to be even better for some of its dimensions [ 10 ]. Furthermore, a Mediterranean diet pattern has been related to increased HRQoL scores [ 6 , 13 ], and alcohol [ 14 , 15 , 16 ], tobacco [ 17 ], and illicit drug [ 15 , 16 ] use seem to be negatively related to HRQoL.…”

Relationship between Health-Related Quality of Life and Physical Activity in Children with Hyperactivity

“…Based on the above, it seems clear that higher levels of physical activity are related to greater levels of HRQoL and overall health benefits [22,25,26]. In fact, different studies have shown the benefits of regular physical activity on health and symptoms of people with ADHD [27][28][29].…”

Physical Exercise, Fitness, Cognitive Functioning, and Psychosocial Variables in an Adolescent Sample

“…There are many factors that can modulate the relationships between exercise and psychosocial development. Although the type of design used in this research cannot explain causal relationships, it is considered that adequate contexts of physical exercise would generate environments in children and adolescents in which they have to overcome challenges and adapt to different situations, they could acquire greater sensations of competition, a better perception of body image or of their state of health [2,28,31,32]. In other words, exercise would contribute to acquiring a series of personal and social skills that would constitute an extrapolable advantage to other contexts, improving their psychosocial aptitude and capacity to adapt to the continuous demands of their social environment [26,27].…”

“…On the other hand, the regular practice of physical and sporting activity, carried out in appropriate social contexts, has been positively associated with other psychological parameters that could also have a favorable impact on child and adolescent development [26][27][28][29][30]. Thus, physical exercise usually occurs in environments that require the development of psychosocial skills necessary to function properly in them, which facilitates their training and learning, while contributing to interpersonal bonds or to the development of personal and social identity [2,26,31,32]. For this reason, the regular practice of exercise could contribute to improving the psychosocial functioning of children and adolescents, influencing aspects such as perceptions of self-concept, personal effectiveness or the assessment of one's own health [33,34].…”