The physical and psychological benefits of physical activity are well documented. However, little research has examined associations between life satisfaction, self-rated health (SRH), and physical activity concurrently in the lives of middle school students.
Method
A convenience sample of 245 middle school students in grades 7 and 8 was surveyed about physical activity, life satisfaction, and SRH using the CDC's 2005 Middle School Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Multivariate analyses of variance (MANOVA) were conducted to determine overall significant differences between independent physical variables and dependent life satisfaction and SRH variables, as well as between socioeconomic status (SES) and physical activity. Univariate analyses of variance (ANOVA) and follow-up post-hoc analyses determined which variables accounted for the significant differences. Effect sizes (ES) were also calculated to determine the practical significance of the findings.
Analysis/Results
Significant overall differences were found between life satisfaction and SRH and the physical activity variables (F (4, 241) = 9.16, p<.0001 and F (4, 241) = 8.95, p<.0001, respectively) and between SES and the physical activity variables (F (4, 241) = 2.44, p<.05). ANOVA analyses, adjusted for SES, revealed significantly reduced life satisfaction and SRH for females who reported not engaging in vigorous physical activity during the past 7 days (p<.05, ES' >.65). Significantly reduced SRH was reported for males who watched 1 or more hours of television per day (p<.05, ES=.50). Also, significantly reduced life satisfaction was detected for both males and females who reported not playing on sports teams (p<.001, ES' >.65) and significantly reduced SRH was detected for females who reported not playing on sports teams (p<.0001, ES=.75).
Conclusions
This preliminary study suggests physical activity is significantly associated with health and quality of life outcomes for middle school students, even after adjusting for SES. Although gender differences were observed for some variables, consistent findings for both genders for sports participation and its relationship to health and quality of life suggest sports participation may carry multiple social, mental, and physical benefits for youth.