Cross-Sectional but Not Prospective Association of Accelerometry-Derived Physical Activity With Quality of Life in Children and Adolescents

Ranin Darkhawaja; Johanna Hänggi; Emmanuel Schaffner; Marek Kwiatkowski; Abdulsalam Alkaiyat; Alain Dössegger; Bengt Kayser; L Suzanne Suggs; Bettina Bringolf-Isler; Nicole Probst-Hensch

doi:10.3389/ijph.2024.1606737

Cross-Sectional but Not Prospective Association of Accelerometry-Derived Physical Activity With Quality of Life in Children and Adolescents

Int J Public Health. 2024 Feb 19:69:1606737. doi: 10.3389/ijph.2024.1606737. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Ranin Darkhawaja^{1

2}, Johanna Hänggi^{1

2}, Emmanuel Schaffner^{1

2}, Marek Kwiatkowski^{1

2}, Abdulsalam Alkaiyat³, Alain Dössegger⁴, Bengt Kayser⁵, L Suzanne Suggs⁶, Bettina Bringolf-Isler^#^{1

2}, Nicole Probst-Hensch^#^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Allschwil, Switzerland.
² Department of Public Health, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
³ Public Health Department, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, An-Najah National University, Nablus, Palestine.
⁴ Swiss Federal Institute of Sport Magglingen, Magglingen, Bern, Switzerland.
⁵ Institute of Sport Sciences, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland.
⁶ Institute of Communication and Public Policy, Faculty of Communication, Culture, and Society, Università della Svizzera italiana, Lugano, Ticino, Switzerland.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Objectives: This study aims to quantify the cross-sectional and prospective associations between quality of life (QoL) and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Methods: This study was based on the Swiss children's Objectively measured PHYsical Activity cohort. The primary endpoint is the overall QoL score and its six dimensions. The main predictor is the average time spent in MVPA per day. Linear mixed effects and linear regression models respectively were used to investigate the cross-sectional and prospective associations between MVPA and QoL. Results: There were 352 participants in the study with complete data from baseline (2013-2015) and follow-up (2019). MVPA was positively associated with overall QoL and physical wellbeing (p = 0.023 and 0.002 respectively). The between-subject MVPA was positively associated with the overall QoL, physical wellbeing, and social wellbeing (p = 0.030, 0.017, and 0.028 respectively). Within-subject MVPA was positively associated with physical wellbeing and functioning at school (p = 0.039 and 0.013 respectively). Baseline MVPA was not associated with QoL 5 years later. Conclusion: Future longitudinal studies should employ shorter follow-up times and repeat measurements to assess the PA and QoL association.

Keywords: linear mixed effects model; linear regression model; longitudinal data; moderate-to-vigorous physical activity; quality of life.

MeSH terms

Accelerometry*
Adolescent
Child
Cross-Sectional Studies
Ethnicity
Exercise
Humans
Quality of Life*

Grants and funding

This study was funded by the Federal Office of Sport FOSPO (Grant Nos. 13-06, 30.10.2017 and VM 0193 004 750), the Federal Office of Public Health FOPH (Grant No. 13.005223), Health Promotion Switzerland (Grant Nos. 13.009 and 18.262). The first author’s salary is funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement number 801076, through the SSPH+Global PhD Fellowship Programme in Public Health Sciences (GlobalP3HS) of the Swiss School of Public Health, and by the Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship.