Objectives Little is known about the dose–response relationship between physical activity and health benefits among young people. Our objective was to analyse the association between the frequency of undertaking moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and the self-reported health status of the adolescent population. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting All regions of Spain. Participants Students aged 11–18 years participating in the Spanish Health Behaviour in School-aged Children survey 2006. A total of 375 schools and 21 188 students were selected. Main outcomes The frequency of undertaking MVPA was measured by a questionnaire, with the following four health indicators: self-rated health, health complaints, satisfaction with life and health-related quality of life. Linear and logistic regression models were used to analyse the association, adjusting for potential confounding variables and the modelling of the dose–response relationship. Results As the frequency of MVPA increased, the association with health benefits was stronger. A linear trend (p<0.05) was found for self-rated health and health complaints in males and females and for satisfaction with life among females; for health-related quality of life this relationship was quadratic for both sexes (p<0.05). For self-reported health and health complaints, the effect was found to be of greater magnitude in males than in females and, in all scales, the benefits were observed from the lowest frequencies of MVPA, especially in males. Conclusions A protective effect of MVPA was found in both sexes for the four health indicators studied, and this activity had a gradient effect. Among males, health benefits were detected from very low levels of physical activity and the magnitude of the relationship was greater than that for females.

During adolescence there is a relatively high prevalence of weight problems and eating disorders. Furthermore, body image plays an important role in weight control and eating behaviors as well as in mental health. This study analyses the influence of body mass index, perception of being overweight, and body image satisfaction (BIS) on internalizing symptoms related to mental health in adolescents. In addition, sex, age, socioeconomic status (SES), dieting, and physical activity are taken into consideration. This research is based on the international study Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC). The sample consists of 4531 Spanish adolescents from 13 to 18 years old. Participants were selected through random multi-stage sampling stratified by conglomerates. Two instruments were employed: the HBSC questionnaire and the Youth Self-Report (Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment, ASEBA). Results demonstrated that BIS –the emotional component related to body image– was the main predictor of adolescent internalizing symptoms. In addition, results show double-inequalities according to the interaction effects of sex, age, and SES. Likewise, interesting results are shown regarding how dieting behaviors to lose or gain weight/volume and physical activity relate to body image perception and satisfaction, as well as with internalizing symptoms. This study highlights important body image aspects relevant to intervention and prevention of internalized mental health problems in adolescence.

The salutogenic model has led to revolutionary changes in the study of health. In recent years, a large amount of research has been carried out on the relationship between sense of coherence and health, but relatively little is known about sense of coherence in adolescence. This study is a systematic review of the studies that looked at sense of coherence in adolescent samples. Valuable information is provided regarding the characteristics of the samples, the reliability of the sense of coherence scale versions, the influence of demographic variables and how family, school, peers and neighbourhood impact sense of coherence development. Furthermore, future directions for the study of sense of coherence in adolescence are provided.

This article seeks to provide an in depth review about one of the most revolutionary and influential methods used in understanding the variables and processes that explain human health. Based on a new vision in the analysis of the consequences of the Nazi Holocaust, a doctor-sociologist--Aaron Antonovsky--managed to influence medicine and behavioral science by facilitating the keys for the optimal development of public health today. Despite the fact that this theory began appearing in the 1970s in the 20th century, its real development and expansion have been seen in recent years. In fact, in Spain, there is little scientific literature that analyses the theoretic keys of the model in depth. This work seek to cover this gap; to achieve this objective, it first presents how the construct of salutogenesis arose, the social-cultural context that promoted it, as well as the importance public health acquires today. This is the aim of this work, which analyses the theoretical bases of the salutogenesis model, with specific emphasis on its background and precursors, as well as its inception, development and current expansion.

Adolescence is a relevant life stage in which to study a global well-being measure, health-related quality of life, in order to analyse the impact of important determinants in adolescents' health-related quality of life (e.g., the quality of family relationships). This study aimed to examine the impact of several family dimensions (parental affection, parental promotion of autonomy, family activities, adolescent disclosure, parental solicitation and parental knowledge) on adolescents' health-related quality of life. Additionally, this study investigated whether demographic variables (adolescents' gender and age) influenced health-related quality of life and moderated the relationship between family dimensions and health-related quality of life. The sample was composed of 14,825 adolescents, aged 13–14, 15–16, and 17–18, from the 2006 edition of Spain's Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study. The results showed that parental promotion of autonomy, family activities and especially parental affection were the most important dimensions influencing health-related quality of life. Boys reported higher health-related quality of life than girls, and younger adolescents reported higher health-related quality of life than older adolescents. The discussion explains how the aforementioned family dimensions encourage better health-related quality of life in adolescents.

Este estudio se propone conocer la evolución de la práctica de actividad física moderada-vigorosa y examinar si la tendencia se mantiene en función de factores sociodemográficos, como el sexo y la edad, así como de factores socioeconómicos y su influencia según la comunidad autónoma. La muestra está compuesta de adolescentes españoles de 11 a 18 años de las ediciones 2002 y 2006 del estudio Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC). Los principales resultados muestran que, a pesar de un cierto aumento en el nivel de actividad física en los cuatro años que distan entre ambas ediciones (especialmente en los adolescentes más pequeños), estos niveles se encuentran todavía lejos de las recomendaciones. Asimismo, los datos señalan como necesidades más urgentes promover un estilo de vida activo en los adolescentes de 13 años en adelante (especialmente en las chicas) y en los adolescentes de niveles socioeconómicos más bajos de determinadas comunidades autónomas. PALABRAS CLAVE: actividad física moderada-vigorosa, adolescencia, sexo, edad, capacidad adquisitiva familiar, comunidad autónoma.   ABSTRACT This study tries to find out the tendency of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and to assess whether the trends are maintained with regard to socio-demographic factors such as sex and age, and also socio-economic factors and how they vary depending on the region. The sample comprises Spanish adolescents aged between 11 and 18 years, from the 2002 and 2006 surveys of the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study. The main results reveal that, despite a certain increase in physical activity level in the four years span between both surveys (particularly in younger adolescents), these levels are still a long way from the recommendations. Likewise, data highlight, as immediate needs, the promotion of an active lifestyle among adolescents from 13 years onwards (particularly among the girls) and also among adolescents of lower socio-economic status in some regions.KEY WORDS: moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, adolescence, sex, age, Family Affluence Scale, region.