OBJECTIVELY-MEASURED PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE AMONG CHILDREN WITH HIGH AND LOW SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS

Background. Purpose: research on the relationship between physical activity (PA) and health-related quality of life (HRQoL), to date, have rarely investigated how this relationship differ across individuals with high and low
socioeconomic status (Basterfield, Burn, Galna, Karoblyte, & Weston, 2021; Calzada-Rodríguez et al., 2021; Wafa et al., 2016; Zhang et al., 2021). The aim of this study is to explore the relationship between objectively-measured PA and HRQoL, and examine how this relationship differs across children with high and low socioeconomic status.
Method. The present study used a correlational-comparative method. Statistical sample included 260 children (age range of 9 to 12 years) from Tehran, Iran, 110 of whom had in high socioeconomic status and 150 children had a low socioeconomic status. PA was measured using the ActiGraph wGT3X-BT accelerometer for seven consecutive days. PedsQL was used to measure health-related quality of life. Independent t test and regression analysis test were utilized for data analysis.
Results. On average, children with higher socioeconomic status had higher moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA)
than those with lower socioeconomic status (45.28 vs. 37.82 minutes per day, respectively). Moreover, children with higher socioeconomic status perceived higher HRQoL than those with lower socioeconomic status. Regression analysis showed that, after controlling for age and BMI, MVPA was significantly and directly associated with HRQoL in both children with high and low socioeconomic status, however, this relationship was stronger in children with low socioeconomic status.
Conclusions. These finding may indicate that PA and HRQoL are critical concerns for children with low socioeconomic status. Accordingly, it is necessary to adopt appropriate strategies to promote active lifestyle among this population.