Bmc Public Health
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Self-rated health (SRH) is an indicator that captures a person's perception of their overall health status. The relationship between physical activity (PA), sedentary behaviour (SB) and SRH has been investigated in systematic reviews among adult and elderly populations. No systematic review to date has synthesized the relationship between PA, SB and SRH among children and adolescents. The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to synthesize the associations between PA, SB and SRH in the general population of children and adolescents and to investigate the dose-response relationship between PA, SB and SRH. ⋯ The findings in the systematic review suggest that health intervention programmes targeting promoting PA and reducing SB among children and adolescents may enhance their overall health status. Future research is needed to expand prospective cohort and intervention studies to address directionality and causality in the relationships between PA, SB and SRH among children and youth.