Quality of Life of Children Engaged in Regular Physical Activities

Background: We aimed to examine the quality of life of children who engage in regular physical activities. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study with intersectional 301 children (182 boys and 119 girls) in-volved in regular sporting activities and the control group of 100 children (67 boys and 33 girls), not involved in extracurricular sports. Children in both groups were from 8 to 13 years, attending elementary school, and without any associated illnesses. The quality of life (QOL) was assessed using the Quality of Life questionnaire Kidscreen-27 version for parents. For comparison of groups, we used chi(2) test, and for comparison of mean values among groups we used ANOVA test. Results: More boys were engaged in sport than girls and the choice of sport is gender-dependent (P<0.01). Boys preferred collective sports, while girls were more oriented towards individual sports (P<0.01). A signifi-cant statistical difference in the mean values of the socializing dimension was given to children who trained football (P=0.04) and basketball (P=0.02). In children engaged in volleyball, a statistical difference in the mean values was observed in all dimensions of the questionnaire. In children who trained water polo, a statistically significant difference in the mean values for dimensions of health (P<0.01), mood (P<0.01) and friendship (P=0.01) was seen. Conclusion: KIDSCREEN scores were significantly higher in the examined group than in the control group, with a statistically significant difference between scores for different sports. Children involved in regular extra-curricular physical activities had better QOL.