When children play, they feel better: organized activity participation and health in adolescents.
BACKGROUND
Participation in organized leisure-time activities (OLTA) has been linked to healthy youth development. This study aimed to assess whether participation in OLTA is associated with both physical and mental health in adolescents, and whether this association differs by pattern of activity participation, age and gender.


METHODS
The present study was based on data from the 2013/2014 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study in the Czech Republic. This data concerned 10,503 adolescents (49.2 % boys) aged 11, 13 and 15. A cluster analysis was carried out to obtain patterns of activity participation and yielded five groups (all-rounders, artists, individual sports, team sports and inactive). The association between participation in types of OLTA and physical and mental health was analysed using logistic regression models adjusted for age and gender. We also assessed interactions between types of OLTA and gender and age.


RESULTS
Participation in OLTA was associated with better self-rated health and higher life satisfaction regardless of gender or age. Participation in team or individual sports was associated with better general health and less frequent health complaints in boys, while participation in art activities was associated with lower occurrence of health complaints in girls and 11-year-olds.


CONCLUSIONS
Participation in OLTA is associated with better physical and mental health in adolescents. The association varies by pattern of activity participation and is partly gender- and age-specific.
Institute of Active Lifestyle, Faculty of Physical Culture, Palacky University Olomouc, Tr. Miru 117, Olomouc, 771 11, Czech Republic. petr.badura@upol.cz.
Petr
P
Badura
Institute of Active Lifestyle, Faculty of Physical Culture, Palacky University Olomouc, Tr. Miru 117, Olomouc, 771 11, Czech Republic. andrea.geckova@upjs.sk.|Olomouc Institute for Society and Health, Palacky University, Olomouc, Czech Republic. andrea.geckova@upjs.sk.|Department of Health Psychology, Faculty of Medicine, Safarik University, Kosice, Slovakia. andrea.geckova@upjs.sk.|Graduate School Kosice Institute for Society and Health, Safarik University, Kosice, Slovakia. andrea.geckova@upjs.sk.
Andrea Madarasova
AM
Geckova
Institute of Active Lifestyle, Faculty of Physical Culture, Palacky University Olomouc, Tr. Miru 117, Olomouc, 771 11, Czech Republic. dagmar.sigmundova@upol.cz.
Dagmar
D
Sigmundova
Olomouc Institute for Society and Health, Palacky University, Olomouc, Czech Republic. j.p.van.dijk@umcg.nl.|Graduate School Kosice Institute for Society and Health, Safarik University, Kosice, Slovakia. j.p.van.dijk@umcg.nl.|Department of Community and Occupational Medicine, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands. j.p.van.dijk@umcg.nl.
Jitse P
JP
van Dijk
Department of Community and Occupational Medicine, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands. s.a.reijneveld@umcg.nl.
Sijmen A
SA
Reijneveld
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D000067576:Child Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D018153:Czech Republic / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007899:Leisure Activities; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D009043:Motor Activity; D063766:Pediatric Obesity / Q000517:prevention & control; D013177:Sports / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*