OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study is to analyze whether the association between physical activity and perceived stress differs across urbanicity levels among Korean adolescents.METHODS This study utilized data from the Korea Youth Risk Behavior Survey (KYRBS), collected between 2018 and 2023. Physical activity was dichotomized based on engaging in ≥60 minutes of activity per day for seven consecutive days. Perceived stress was categorized into high and low levels based on survey responses. Urbanicity was classified into metropolitan, mid-sized city, or rural. Complex-sample logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the association between physical activity and perceived stress by urbanicity level, adjusting for age, sex, economic status, academic performance, school type, height, and weight.RESULTS A total of 322,978 adolescents were included in the analysis. The association between physical activity and perceived stress differed by urbanicity level. Adolescents in mid-sized cities who engaged in physical activity for seven consecutive days were more likely to report lower perceived stress (OR = 1.087, 95% CI = 1.035-1.142). However, no significant associations were observed among adolescents residing in metropolitan areas (OR = 1.048, 95% CI = 0.996-1.103) or rural areas (OR = 1.079, 95% CI = 0.950-1.225).CONCLUSIONS This study confirmed that the association between physical activity and perceived stress among adolescents varies by urbanicity level. Significant associations were observed only in mid-sized cities, suggesting that the stress-reducing benefits of physical activity may be influenced by contextual environmental factors. These findings highlight the need for region-specific physical activity promotion strategies to support adolescent mental health.
Kim et al. (Sat,) studied this question.