Exploring the self-reported physical fitness and self-rated health, mental health disorders, and body satisfaction among Chinese adolescents: A cross-sectional study

Association of physical activity, screen time and sleep with substance use in children and adolescents: a large sample cross-sectional study

Background

24-h movement guidelines (24-HMG) play an important role in various demographics such as early years, children, youth, and the older adult. Nevertheless, most existing research exploring the links between socioeconomic factors, dietary intake, and substance use with sleep patterns, physical activity (PA), and sedentary behavior (SB) has been conducted in high-income Western countries.

Purpose

Hence, this study seeks to investigate the relationship between adherence to the 24-HMG and smoking and alcohol use behaviors among children and adolescents in China.

Methods

A comprehensive survey, in collaboration with the Municipal Education Commission, was carried out across primary and middle schools in Shenzhen, China. Sleep duration was gauged using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), screen time was assessed with items adapted from the Health Behavior of School-aged Children (HBSC) survey, and PA was measured using a single item adapted from the HBSC survey. Results were presented as odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs), considering p-values below 0.05 as statistically significant.

Results

Among the sample, 51.9% were boys and 48% were girls. Those who did not meet any guidelines had a higher probability of smoking (OR = 1.62 [95% CI: 1.03, 2.56], p = 0.037) among children and adolescents. Conversely, meeting one (OR = 0.94 [95% CI: 0.61, 1.52], p = 0.874) or two guidelines (OR = 0.84 [95% CI: 0.52, 1.34], p = 0.459) showed no significant impact. The data displayed an inverse correlation between the number of guidelines adhered to and the likelihood of alcohol use among children and adolescents: none (OR = 2.07, p < 0.001), one guideline (OR = 1.40, p = 0.006), and two guidelines (OR = 1.22, p = 0.106).

Conclusion

Not meeting guidelines elevates smoking and alcohol use risks in children and adolescents, whereas following more guidelines lowers these risks, highlighting the importance of guideline adherence in reducing substance use.

Exploring the sports participation, muscle-strengthening exercise and active commuting with comorbidity of depression and anxiety among Chinese children and adolescents: a cross-sectional study

Prior research has shown that physical activity (PA) is a crucial element for preserving and enhancing health, particularly among children and adolescents, and consistent engagement in PA offers numerous advantages for sustaining typical physical and mental well-being.

Purpose

Hence, the primary objective of this study was to examine the relationship between sport participation, muscle-strengthening exercise (MSE), and active commuting (AC) in the co-occurrence of depression and anxiety in Chinese children and adolescents.

Method

This cross-sectional investigation occurred in various cities across the southeastern region of China between March 2021 and October 2021. A convenient sampling method was utilized. We invited children and adolescents to participate in the questionnaire survey. A total of 1,996 participants completed the questionnaires with the endorsement of their parents or guardians under the supervision of schoolteachers and headmasters. Girls comprised 47.5% of the participants, and the average age of participants was 14.8 ± 2.0 years. We conducted a logistic regression analysis, including 95% confidence intervals, to explore the association between sports participation, MSE, AC, and the co-occurrence of depression and anxiety.

Results

No significant association was observed between weekday active commuting for travelling to and from school and MSE and the comorbidity of depression and anxiety in children and adolescents. A negative association was only detected for those who engaged in muscle-strengthening exercises 4 days a week (OR = 0.540, 95% CI = 0.345-0.845) compared to those who did not partake in such exercises.

Conclusion

The present study has provided evidence of the connection between sports participation and the co-occurrence of depression and anxiety among Chinese children and adolescents. Sports participation is more likely to help adolescents relieve anxiety and depression than AC, MSE. In forthcoming research, it is imperative to delve deeper into strategies that enhance the impact of sports on the mental well-being of children and young individuals. Furthermore, optimizing the magnitude of this effect may be achievable by focusing on neurobiological, behavioral, and psychosocial mechanisms.

The associations of social isolation with depression and anxiety among adults aged 65 years and older in Ningbo, China

Social isolation was associated with emotional problems (depression and anxiety) among older adults, however, little is known in China. Thus, we conducted a cross-sectional study including 6,664 ≥ 65 years older adults in Ningbo, China. We collected data on social isolation, depression, and anxiety by specific scales. The relationship between social isolation and emotional problems was estimated by multivariate-adjusted logistic regression models. The population-attributable risk percentage (PAR%) was used to explore the contribution of social isolation to emotional problems. Overall, the percentage of participants who had experienced social isolation, depression, and anxiety was 12.67%, 4.83%, and 2.63%. Compared with the elderly without social isolation, the adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence interval) of depression and anxiety with social isolation were 1.77 (1.25-2.51) and 1.66 (1.05-2.63), respectively. The PAR analysis showed that 10.66% of depression and 9.03% of anxiety could be attributable to social isolation. In the gender subgroup, ORs and PAR% were only significantly observed in female participants. In Chinese older adults, social isolation has been linked to depression and anxiety, suggesting the importance of taking effective and feasible interventions to reduce social isolation and emotional problems, especially among females.

Russian young people's subjective health evaluations, self-care practices, and therapeutic networks

This study investigates the relationship between young people's subjective health evaluations, self-care practices, and therapeutic networks using semi-structured interviews and the computerized qualitative thematic analysis capabilities of the MAXQDA software. In the summer of 2022, 41 Russian youths, ages 16 to 25, took part in this investigation. The major findings demonstrate that young people who had low health evaluations were more likely to conduct self-care with the intention of enhancing their health and to have mothers and other medical experts in their therapeutic networks. Furthermore, individuals who claimed that their health was inadequate engaged in more sports and took care of themselves even when they were ill. There was no association between the objectives of self-care practices, members of the therapeutic network, and self-care activities in terms of the type of health evaluation. Overall, it is possible to suggest that the practices and the structure of therapeutic networks are related to self-evaluated health, but quantitative study is needed to verify the causal relationship.

24-hour movement behaviours and self-rated health in Chinese adolescents: a questionnaire-based survey in Eastern China

Objective

Although much evidence has demonstrated the benefits of adhering to the 24-hour movement guidelines, little is known about their association with self-rated health in adolescents. The objective of this study was to explore the association between adherence to the 24-hour movement guidelines (i.e., physical activity, screen time, and sleep) and self-rated health among Chinese adolescents aged 10-17 ages.

Methods

A convenient sample of 12 schools and their students were recruited for this cross-sectional study. Physical activity and screen time were assessed using a questionnaire based on the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children questionnaire, while sleep duration was used measured using the Pittsburgh Sleep Scale. Ordinal logistic regression was performed to examine the association between adherence to the 24-hour movement guidelines and self-rated health.

Results

Adolescents who adhered to more guidelines contained in the 24-hour movement guidelines reported better self-rated health. A dose-response association was observed, with the odds ratio (OR) for adhering to all three = 11.26, 95% CI [4.82-26.35]; OR for meeting two = 1.62, 95% CI [1.25-2.12]; OR for meeting one = 1.16, 95% CI [0.98-1.38]) indicating a higher probability of better self-rated health with increasing adherence. Regarding adherence to specific combination of 24-hour movement guidelines, positive associations were found for adhering to all three recommendations (OR = 11.95, 95% CI [5.06-28.19]), only MVPA (OR = 4.96, 95% CI [2.82-8.72]), MVPA + screen time (OR = 5.50, 95% CI [3.02-9.99]), and MVPA + sleep (OR = 4.63, 95% CI [2.52-8.51]).

Conclusion

This study provides evidence supporting the association between adherence to the 24-hour movement guidelines and better self-rated health among Chinese adolescents. Sufficient physical activity may be particularly important for promoting self-rated health in this population.

Associations of sport participation with subjective well-being: a study consisting of a sample of Chinese school-attending students

Purpose

Past studies have illustrated that the impact of sports participation on school-attending students' well-being plays a significant role in the life course of adolescence, which is a golden period for developing sound psychological qualities. However, the relationship between sports participation and subjective well-being is not clear, particularly in Chinese primary and middle schools. Therefore, the current study was aimed to explore the relationship between sports participation and subjective well-being in elementary and middle schools in China.

Method

All involved children and adolescents were asked to conduct a self-report of their sociodemographic factors (e.g., sex, grade, and age), independence, and outcomes. The survey involved a two-stage sampling design (district school). Besides, in order to examine the relationship between participation in sports and subjective well-being, a self-report questionnaire was used. Logistic regression with 95% confidence interval and odds ratios (ORs), was conducted to investigate the relationship between sports participation and subjective well-being.

Results

A total of 67,281 participants in total provided complete data for the final analysis of the current study. The percentage of boys and girls was 51.9% and 48.1%, namely. The current study found that compared with children who never participate in sports, those children who participated sports in 1-3 times a month, 1-2 times a week, and 3 times a week and above were more likely to enjoy better well-being. Compared with children who never participate in sports, those children who in every grade participated sports in 1-3 times a month, 1-2 times a week, and 3 times a week and above were more likely to achieve better well-being.

Conclusion

Our current study offered the positive effect of sports participation on children and adolescents' subjective well-being. For schools and governments, further studies are needed to focus on sports participation and positive feedback on adolescents' mental health, and the three parties' endeavors should be intervened.

The Relationship between Physical Fitness and Perceived Well-Being, Motivation, and Enjoyment in Chinese Adolescents during Physical Education: A Preliminary Cross-Sectional Study

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between physical fitness (PF) level and Chinese middle-school students’ perceived well-being, motivation, and enjoyment. Method: In this study, the participants were randomly selected from 16 Beijing-based middle schools in China. In addition to the collection of demographic data (i.e., gender, age, and parental education), tools including the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale, the Behavioural Regulation in Sport Questionnaire, and the Physical Activity Children’s Enjoyment Scale were employed for collecting data on other variables of well-being, motivation, and enjoyment, respectively. Results: A total of 1678 adolescents (M age = 14.66 years, SD = 1.80) participated in this study. According to the results, significant gender differences could be observed in the PF categories of mean age, BMI, vital capacity, 50-m sprint, muscular strength, and flexibility (all p < 0.05). In contrast, there was no significant gender difference in the levels of well-being, motivation, and enjoyment observed, with similar scores for boys and girls (p > 0.05). Indeed, adolescents with low BMI scores and high levels of vital capacity, muscular strength, and flexibility showed better well-being, motivation, and enjoyment. However, no association was observed between timed sit-ups and pull-ups and well-being, motivation, and enjoyment. Conclusions: This study produced preliminary findings on the relationship between PF and Chinese adolescents’ perceived well-being, motivation, and enjoyment. To improve the health of adolescents, it is necessary to adopt prospective and experimental research designs for advocating for fitness education in school-based programs in future research.

Vigorous physical activity and self-rated health during adolescence: A cross-sectional survey

Background

Despite the positive relationship between self-rated health and general physical activity, very little research has touched upon the relationship between self-rated health and vigorous physical activity. Such research will help to promote self-rated health among adolescents by addressing the close relationship between self-rated health and the components of physical activity.

Purpose

In this study, the relationship between self-rated health and vigorous physical activity among Chinese adolescents were analyzed.

Methods

The current study was based on a collaborative survey conducted by the WHO in several nations, and the data generated by Health Behavior in School-aged Children every 4 years on health behavior were adopted. The school class was taken as a basic unit for sampling. Cluster sampling was performed systematically, and the possibility was proportional to the population. The sampling was conducted to collect typical cases. The class teachers were informed of the sampling activities, and they were to collect data on the students by distributing the questionnaires.

Results

The research included 116,828 respondents from 36 countries. Among them, 51.82% were girls and 48.18% were boys. A total of 98.54% of the respondents considered their health status as fair or above when completing the questionnaire, while 1.46% believed that their health status was poor. Moreover, more than 86% of the respondents participated in vigorous exercise more than weekly, and better self-health ratings were found among respondents who exercised more than weekly (once a week: OR = 1.95, CI: 1.86-2.04; two or three times a week: OR = 1.69, CIL: 1.63-1.76; four or six times a week: OR = 1.30, CI: 1.25-1.35). Certain respondents reported better results for self-rated health (4-6 h every week: OR = 1.36, CI: 1.30-1.43; 2 or 3 h every week: OR = 1.48, CI: 1.42-1.55; 1 h every week: OR = 1.64, CI: 1.57-1.72).

Conclusion

In this study, empirical evidence is provided for the relationship between self-rated health and vigorous physical activity among adolescents. From the results, it can be observed that there is a positive relationship between self-rated health and vigorous physical activity among adolescents.

Association between vigorous physical activity and life satisfaction in adolescents

Purpose

The 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.

Methods

Using 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.

Results

Among 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).

Conclusions

In 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.