Earlier studies have shown that physically active students overall reported better selfrelated health. A majority (80%) of the high school students reported “moderately good” or “very good” self-related health, and no gender differences were found . This differs from two other similar previous investigations where males reported significantly better self-related health than females, although the gender differences were small.

 

A Swedish population-based study reported a positive association between physical activity and good self-rated health among adults. Similar results with better self-related health in physically active students were reported in a Finnish study, in which physically active adolescents reported better health as well as better health behaviour compared to less physically active adolescents. In the physical activity intervention the female students in the regular training group significantly increased their self-related health compared to the control group, thereby supporting that physical activity positively influences self-related health. This result corresponds well with the results from Kahlin-Reichard et al.,where students with a moderate and high level of physical activity reported better self-related health than students with a low level of physical activity.

 

It is therefore crucial to encourage adolescents to be physically active and to maintain a positive physically active behaviour throughout life. In a longitudinal studylof Jerden et al.,found significantly lower self-related health in female adolescents when compared to male adolescents, and the differences furthermore were found to increase throughout the adolescence. A strategy to early influence and encourage young females to stay active would therefore be of great importance.