Abstract
BackgroundHealth-related quality of life (HRQoL) is a multidimensional concept with significant effects and children and adolescence; while physical activity (PA) and screen time (ST) have been suggested as its probable predictors. Present study aims to investigate the association of PA, ST and their combination, with HRQoL in a nationally-representative sample of Iranian children and adolescents.MethodsAs for the estimated sample size, 25,000 students aged 6–18 years were selected via multi-stage cluster sampling from 30 provinces of Iran. Sociodemographic data was obtained by using the questionnaire of the World Health Organization-Global school based student health survey (GSHS). Persian Pediatric Quality of Life inventory (PedsQL) and Physical Activity Questionnaire for the pediatric age group (PAQ-A) were applied for evaluating HRQoL and PA, respectively. PA scores 1–1.9 and 2–5 were respectively considered as low and high PA. The average duration of time spent on watching TV and leisure time computer use were considered as ST behaviors. ST of less than 2 h was considered low.ResultsOut of 25,000 invited individuals, 23,043 students (mean age: 12.5) completed the study (response rate: 92.17%). In linear regression models, ST duration had significant inverse association with total QoL (β: − 0.49, p < 0.05). PA showed positive significant associations with HRQoL total score (β: 1.8, p < 0.05). Joint association of PA and ST revealed the strongest association of “high PA-low ST” category with total HRQoL (β: 2.2, p < 0.05); while “high PA-high ST” showed better total HRQoL score (β: 1.3) compared to “low PA-low ST” subgroup.ConclusionBoth PA and ST are significantly and independently associated with HRQoL in Iranian children and adolescents; while the adverse effect of prolonged ST could be diminished by a high PA.
Highlights
Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is considered as a multidimensional concept which incorporates experiences, beliefs and perceptions of physical, psychological and social aspects of health [1]
Prevalence of obesity was significantly higher in boys compared to girls
Higher percentage of boys (86.2%) were significantly physically active compared to girls; physical activity (PA) score was higher in boys with 2.2 compared to 1.8 in girls. 40.9% of total population had high screen time (ST ≥ 2 h) and the values were significantly different between girls and boys
Summary
Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is considered as a multidimensional concept which incorporates experiences, beliefs and perceptions of physical, psychological and social aspects of health [1]. Low physical activity (PA) and prolonged screen time (ST) are among factors that have been suggested as predictors of HRQoL in children and adolescents. They are both suggested as unhealthy behaviors which their longitudinal trends could continue into adulthood [12]. Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is a multidimensional concept with significant effects and children and adolescence; while physical activity (PA) and screen time (ST) have been suggested as its probable predictors. Present study aims to investigate the association of PA, ST and their combination, with HRQoL in a nationally-representative sample of Iranian children and adolescents
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