Physical Activity Level Affects Well-being Status In Greek Adolescents

Adolescence is a key period of life for developing healthy behaviors, particularly in terms of health and physical activity promotion interventions. Regular exercise not only promotes physical fitness but also contributes significantly to overall health and mental well-being. PURPOSE: In this study we focused on behavioral aspects of physical activity in Greek high school students, assessing the potential correlation between their actual engagement in physical activity and their satisfaction and the impact of physical exercise on their overall well-being, with an ultimate goal of creating a flexible educational program for mobilizing students to take up exercising regularly. METHODS: 627 students (283 boys, 344 girls) aged 16.1 ± 0.8 years, in the 10th, 11th and 12th grade of 20 high schools all over Greece, completed an e-questionnaire from February to May 2022. Student's T-test for independent samples was used for statistical analysis of the data collected. RESULTS: 14-20% of the students were not satisfied with their fitness, physical appearance, sociability and academic performance, while the girls expressed less satisfaction in these fields than boys. Students felt consistently anxiety (25%), anger (22%), and feelings of depression (8%), whereas 14% of them were not happy at all, with the girls experiencing significantly stronger feelings than boys. Adolescents who met ACSM youth physical activity guidelines (at least one hour of moderate to vigorous physical activity for 7 days/week) showed significantly higher levels of satisfaction in fitness, physical appearance and sociability compared to students who did not exercise at any day. School performance did not found to be related to physical activity levels. Furthermore, exercising students mentioned less anxiety and depression (p < 0.001), reduced anger (p < 0.01) and more pleasure (p ≤ 0.05) than the ones who did not exercise at all. CONCLUSIONS: Promoting physical activity with a focus on health and leisure is essential to maintain motivation and create a healthier and more active adolescent population. With the increasing emphasis of improving happiness as an important goal of the global public health policy, the findings of this study may have important policy implications for enhancing subjective well-being in this population.