Are fatigue and sleeping difficulty related to adolescent physical activity and sedentary behavior? Highlights from the Portuguese HBSC study

Objective: In modern times young people increasingly have unhealthy lifestyles. The practice of regular physical activity is associated with positive effects on the health of adolescents. The purpose of this study is to understand the relationship between physical activity and sedentary behaviour with sleeping difficulty and fatigue in Portuguese adolescents of both genders between the ages of 11 and 16 years. Design: The sample consisted of 4877 individuals of both sexes, with an average age of 14 years old. The instrument used was a questionnaire study of the health behaviour in school-aged children. The χ2 tests, multiple linear regressions and a logistic regression were used as statistical analysis. Results: The increase of the practice of physical activity (PA) during the week was associated with the male gender (OR = 0.3, p <.05), decreasing by 10 percent per year of age of the subjects (OR = 0.9, p <.05) and often to watching TV/DVD over the weekend (OR = 1.2, p <.0.055). We have not found a relationship between sleeping difficulty and fatigue and physical activity. Conclusion: The practice of PA of Portuguese adolescents is not associated with fatigue and sleeping difficulty. Associations were found between the male gender, age and watching TV on the weekends.