Abstract
The aim of this study was to verify the structural relationship between health perceptions, sports participation, and health promoting behavior in adolescents. A total of 507 adolescents living in Seoul, Republic of Korea, in 2020, participated in this study. This study was conducted using a preliminary survey and a main survey. In the preliminary survey, the reliability and validity of the scales used in this study were analyzed, and in the main survey, the relationships between individual variables were verified. Specifically, descriptive statistical analysis, path analysis, and mediating effect analysis were conducted in the main survey. The results of the study are as follows: first, health perceptions were found to have a positive effect on sports participation (p < 0.001). Furthermore, health perceptions were found to have no direct effect on health promoting behavior (p = 0.554), while sports participation was found to have a positive effect on health promoting behavior (p < 0.001). Additionally, sports participation completely mediated the relationship between health perceptions and health promoting behavior. Based on the results of this study, suggestions are presented on how to enhance health perceptions in adolescents who are in a critical period for forming healthy life habits, and to prepare measures to encourage sports participation.
Highlights
As of 2020, the world is facing the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic
In order to overcome these limitations, it is necessary to verify the effects of health perceptions and sports participation on improving health promoting behavior in adolescents, using an appropriate study design. Reflecting on these points, this study aims to clarify the structural relationship between health perception, health promoting behavior, and sports participation, and to investigate the mediating effect of sports participation in the relationship between health perceptions and health promoting behavior
The present results show that adolescents with higher levels of health perceptions tend to participate more actively in sports activities, which may lead to increased health promoting behavior in adolescents
Summary
As of 2020, the world is facing the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Scientists predict that the COVID-19 transmission may be at controllable levels over time, but that increasingly more novel viruses will be encountered. The outbreak of new viral infections is accelerating the development of treatment and vaccines at the national global level. People are responding to the new viral infections by strengthening environmental and personal hygiene and enhancing their individual immunity. People’s interest in immunity-related health and related desires is increasing. As acquiring healthy life habits takes time, it is necessary to encourage adolescents to develop conscious health perceptions and healthy life habits
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