Longitudinal Study on Correlations Between Body Image, Physical Activity, and the Subjective Well-Being Among Adolescents Aged 14-16.
Noora Matilainen, Hugo Blomberg, Ann-Christin Sollerhed and 2 others
PMID 37525564WHAT IT FOUND
Physical activity and body image at age 14 were not linked to well-being at age 16 after accounting for sex, family finances and earlier well-being in 137 Swedish adolescents.
Key findings
01Physical activity and body image at age 14 were not linked to well-being at age 16 after accounting for sex, family finances and earlier well-being.
02Sex and well-being at age 14 were linked to well-being at age 16; 77.8% of the lower well-being group were girls.
03Physical activity, body image and well-being all showed significant declines from age 14 to age 16.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Only 137 of the 2,308 targeted students were included, because only named responses at both surveys were used, so the analysed group may not represent all adolescents. The sample was 56.2% female and most participants rated their family's financial situation as very good or good, which limits how well the results apply to other groups. The study used self-reported measures and one southern Swedish municipality, so findings may not transfer to other settings. The design was observational, so it cannot show that physical activity or body image caused later well-being. Body appearance showed a trend toward significance (p = .075), but this was not a significant result in the adjusted analysis.
Declared interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest and received no financial support for the research, authorship, or publication.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that physical activity at age 14 prevents poor well-being at age 16. The primary associations were not significant, and the study included only 137 adolescents.