Author(s): PRÜNSTER, V., NIEDERMEIER, M., COCCA, A., RUEDL, G., Institution: UNIVERSITY OF INNSBRUCK, Country: AUSTRIA, Abstract-ID: 1295

INTRODUCTION
Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is a central construct in pediatric and adolescent health research, capturing perceived physical, psychological, social, and emotional well-being. Physical fitness (PF) is increasingly recognized as a key determinant of adolescents’ health and well-being, with both cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness being positively associated with HRQoL, particularly within the domains of physical well-being, psychological well-being, and peer relations. The COVID-19 pandemic adversely affected adolescents’ mental health and substantially reduced their physical activity levels and fitness due to the closure of schools, sports facilities, and sports clubs, especially during lockdown periods. The aim of this study was to evaluate associations between PF and HRQoL, following the lifting of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions in Austria.

METHODS
A total of 198 Austrian adolescents (50.0% female; mean age 15.4±0.5 years) participated in this cross-sectional study in 2022. To assess HRQoL, adolescents completed the KIDSCREEN-27 questionnaire with the 5 subdomains physical well-being, psychological well-being, autonomy and parent relations, peers and social support, and school environment. The KIDSCREEN-10 Index was derived as a measure of overall HRQoL. PF was assessed using the German Motor Test 6–18, and raw test scores were converted into z-scores and a total z-score was built. Given established sex differences in HRQoL and PF, partial correlations were computed with sex as a control variable.

RESULTS
Mean values of overall HRQoL were 50.44±10.45. PF total z-score was positively associated with overall HRQoL, when controlling for sex in the analysis (r=0.21, p=.004). Additionally, significant positive correlations were observed for PF total z-score with physical well-being (r=0.41, p<.001), psychological well-being (r=0.19, p=.011), autonomy and parent relations (r=0.19, p=.010), for peers and social support (r=0.15, p=.050), and school environment (r=0.15, p=.043) when controlling for sex.

DISCUSSION
Although current HRQoL levels after the end of school closures are lower than previously reported values for Austrian students prior to the pandemic, higher PF was significantly associated with higher HRQoL, particularly in the physical domain, but also in psychosocial dimensions. While the strongest relationships were observed for physical well-being, consistent positive associations with psychological well-being, autonomy and parent relations, peer support, and school environment suggest that PF may have the potential to contribute more broadly to overall quality of life; however, these findings must be interpreted in light of the study’s cross-sectional design.