MVPA was significantly associated with better quality of life in children, though the effect size was small, and the associations varied according to factors such as age, SES, and WHtR, with no significant association observed for sex.
Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) was significantly positively associated with quality of life in children, though with a small effect size.
Control schools exhibited higher QoL scores than intervention schools, with an average 0.5-point advantage.
Socioeconomic status (SES) was significantly associated with quality of life in intervention schools.
Waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) was negatively associated with quality of life in both intervention and control groups, with a stronger association in control schools.
No significant association between sex and quality of life was observed.
The HOPP study was a longitudinal 5-year school-based physical activity intervention conducted in Norway involving over 2,000 children.
The associations between MVPA and quality of life varied according to age, SES, and WHtR.
This research examined whether a school-based program adding extra physical activity improved children's quality of life over five years in Norway. More than 2,000 children aged 6 to 12 participated across nine schools, with seven schools receiving an extra 225 minutes of physical activity per week and two schools following the normal curriculum. The researchers measured how active children were using accelerometers and assessed their quality of life using a validated questionnaire, while also accounting for family socioeconomic status and children's body proportions (waist-to-height ratio). The study found that higher levels of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity were linked to better quality of life, though the effect was small. Interestingly, children in the control schools (normal curriculum) actually scored slightly higher on quality of life measures than those in the intervention schools, which the researchers believe reflects pre-existing differences in family socioeconomic status between the school groups rather than any harm from the extra activity. Body size relative to height was negatively linked to quality of life in both groups, and family socioeconomic background was an important factor particularly in intervention schools. No differences were found between boys and girls. This research suggests that while being physically active is associated with better wellbeing in children, simply adding more physical activity at school is not straightforwardly enough to improve quality of life on its own. Factors like family socioeconomic background and children's physical health indicators play important roles, and school-based programs may need to consider these broader social and health contexts when trying to support children's overall wellbeing.
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Upload Your LabsJensen R, Mamen A, Wang C, Fredriksen P. (2026). Physical activity and quality of life in children: Findings from the Health Oriented Pedagogical Project (HOPP).. PloS one. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0353686