Associations between self-reported fitness and self-rated health, life-satisfaction and health-related quality of life among adolescents

Background/objective In recent years, there has been an increased interest in the associations between physical fitness (PF) and psychosocial aspects of health. This study aimed to analyse the associations between self-reported PF and self-rated health (SRH), life-satisfaction (LS), and quality of life (QoL). Methods This is a cross-sectional study of 3554 adolescents (1652 boys), aged 13-18, from the HBSC Portuguese survey. PF, health, LS and OoL were self-rated. Results SRH, LS, and health-related OoL (HRQoL) were significantly and positively correlated with all PF components. From regression model, overall fitness was significantly related with SRH (boys: β = 0.18, p < 0.001; girls: β = 0.16, p < 0.001), LS (boys: β = 0.36, p < 0.001; girls: β = 0.43, p < 0.001), and HRQoL (boys: β = 2.26, p < 0.001; girls: β = 2.54, p < 0.001). Cardiorespiratory fitness was also positively and significantly related with SRH (boys: β = 0.17, p < 0.001; girls: β = 0.11, p < 0.001), LS (boys: β = 0.13, p < 0.05; girls: β = 0.31, p < 0.001), and HRQoL (boys: β = 1.74, p < 0.001; girls: β = 1.57, p < 0.001). Conclusion These findings suggest that perceived PF is associated with a better SRH, LS, and perceived HRQoL. A few implications regarding public policies were highlighted.