Journal of Child and Adolescent Behavior
Open Access

Research Article

Does Physical Activity Promotion Advantages Need the Identification of Associated Health Compromising Features such as Injuries, Alcohol Use and Interpersonal Violence? Highlights from HBSC/ WHO Portuguese Survey

Margarida Gaspar de Matos^1,2,5*Luis Calmeiro^2,3,6Adilson Marques^1,6Loureiro Nuno^1,2,4,6

¹University of Lisbon and Aventura Social Project, Portugal

²Centro de Malária and Doenças Tropicais, Portugal

³University of Durham, United Kingdom

⁴Escola Superior de Educação de Beja, Portugal

⁵Clinical and Health Psychologist, Full Professor of International Health, Portugal

⁶Polytechnic Institute of Beja, Department of Arts, Humanities and Sports location, Beja, Portugal

*Corresponding Author:

Margarida Gaspar de Matos
Full Professor, University of Lisbon
Estrada da Costa Cruz Quebrada
1499 Lisbon, Portugal
Tel: 351969087765
E-mail: mmatos@fmh.utl.pt

Received Date: October 09, 2013; Accepted Date: November 05, 2013; Published Date: November 13, 2013

Citation: de Matos MG, Calmeiro L, Marques A, Nuno L (2013) Does Physical Activity Promotion Advantages Need the Identification of Associated Health Compromising Features such as Injuries, Alcohol Use and Interpersonal Violence? Highlights from HBSC/ WHO Portuguese Survey. J Child Adolesc Behav 1:113. doi: 10.4172/2375-4494.1000113

Copyright: © 2013 de Matos MG, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Abstract
A considerable amount of literature demonstrates an association between physical activity (PA) and health.
However, some studies also suggest an association between PA and health compromising behaviors. The purpose
of this study is to determine the behaviors that can have a positive or negative association with PA in a nationally
representative sample of adolescents. Based on the Health Behavior in School-aged Children, 5050 Portuguese
adolescents attending 6th (30.8%), 8th (31.6%) and 10th (37.6%) grades (M age=13.98, years, SD=1.85; 52.3%
girls) answered a survey concerning a variety of health behaviors and self-perceptions. Results suggested that
being more active is positively associated to better nutrition (“eating fruit”), and perceptions of life satisfaction and
good health. PA was also associated to violent behavior, injuries and alcohol abuse. It is therefore recommended
that practitioners should find ways to promote the several well-documented benefits of PA while monitoring and
preventing associated unfavorable outcomes.

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