Epidemiology of hip and groin injuries in Swedish male first football league.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to investigate the incidence, pattern, and burden of hip/groin injuries in Swedish professional male football players over five consecutive seasons. METHODS: Injury history from 16 football teams in the Swedish male first football league was evaluated during five consecutive seasons. The team's medical staff recorded team exposure and time-loss injuries prospectively between 2012 and 2016. RESULTS: In total, 467 time-loss injuries located in the hip/groin area were recorded among 1,687 professional male football players, with an overall incidence and burden of 0.82/1,000 h and 15.6/1,000 h, respectively. There appeared to be an increased risk of hip/groin injuries during the last two seasons (2015-2016); however, the difference was not statistically significant (n.s). Recurrent injury rate was relatively low (14%), and overuse injuries accounted for the majority of injuries and absence days. Muscle injuries were the main injury type, while kicking and sprinting/running were the primary causes of injury. Goalkeepers had the lowest percentage of injuries and absence days. CONCLUSION: Hip/groin injuries are a substantial problem in football, but does not seem to be an increasing phenomenon in the Swedish male first football league. Index and overuse injuries accounted for the majority of injuries and absence days. Thus, the focus should be on preventing hip/groin injuries to lower the injury rate. These new findings should be taken into consideration when designing and implementing preventive training interventions. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II.

The Relationship Between Personality Traits and Muscle Injuries in Swedish Elite Male Football Players.

CONTEXT: The physical and mental demands of an elite football player are complex, which may explain why injuries are common in football. At elite level, muscle injuries of the lower-extremity are the most common among male football players, and the research hitherto is limited. OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether personality traits affect the incidence of muscle injuries among male football players from the first league in Sweden. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. PARTICIPANTS: A male football team from the first league in Sweden was prospectively followed, in terms of muscle injuries of the lower-extremity during 8 seasons, between 2007 and 2015. INTERVENTION: All muscle injuries included in this study were evaluated and diagnosed with ultrasonography. Players from the team filled out the Swedish Universities Scales of Personality questionnaire. Swedish Universities Scales of Personality questionnaire consists of 91 items and is divided into 13 categories. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The raw values of each scale were linearly transformed to T scores, having a mean (SD) of 50 (10). All variables were summarized with standard descriptive statistics, such as frequency, mean, and SD. As data were of interval scale and no variable distribution was severely skewed, differences between noninjured players, rarely injured players, and frequently injured players were analyzed with 1-way analysis of variance with post hoc tests by Tukey honestly significant difference test. RESULTS: No significant difference in personality traits were observed between noninjured players, rarely injured players, and frequently injured players regarding number of muscle injuries (P > .05). However, a trend (P = .07) was seen, where frequently injured players scored higher on stress susceptibility than rarely injured players. CONCLUSION: A player's stress susceptibility should be taken into consideration by the player, coaches, and medical staff when assessing the risk of a muscle injury. Also, preventive measures available for these players may need to be considered.

Muscle injuries of the dominant or non-dominant leg in male football players at elite level.

PURPOSE: The aim was to study possible differences of muscle injuries regarding type, localization and the extent of injury between the dominant and non-dominant leg in elite male football players. Another aim was to study the injury incidence of muscle injuries of the lower extremity during match and training. METHODS: Data were consecutively collected between 2007 and 2013 in a prospective cohort study based on 54 football players from one team of the Swedish first league. The injury incidence was calculated for both match and training, injuries to the hip adductors, quadriceps, hamstrings and triceps surae were diagnosed and evaluated with ultrasonography, and their length, depth and width were measured to determine the extent of structural muscle injuries. RESULTS: Fifty-four players suffered totally 105 of the studied muscle injuries. Out of these 105 injuries, the dominant leg was affected in 53 % (n = 56) of the cases. A significantly greater extent of the injury was found in the dominant leg when compared with the non-dominant leg with regard to structural injuries of the hamstrings. No other significant differences were found. CONCLUSIONS: Structural hamstring muscle injuries were found to be of greater extent in the dominant leg when compared with the non-dominant leg. This new finding should be taken into consideration when allowing the football player to return to play after leg muscle injuries. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV.

Prevalence of shoulder pain in Swedish flatwater kayakers and its relation to range of motion and scapula stability of the shoulder joint.

Few studies have investigated the incidence of injuries in kayakers. The aim was to study the prevalence of shoulder pain in competitive flatwater kayakers and to evaluate any differences in range of motion or scapula stability of the shoulder joint among kayakers with or without the history of shoulder pain. Thirty-one kayakers were participated in the study, and a questionnaire including background data was used. Shoulder range of motion was measured with a goniometer, and the participants were observed for scapula dyskinesis in flexion and abduction. Of the participating kayakers, 54.8% (n = 17) had experienced shoulder pain. Kayakers who had experienced shoulder pain showed a significantly lower degree of internal rotational range of motion versus kayakers with no reported shoulder pain, with a mean degree of internal rotation in the right shoulder 49.3 vs. 60.0 (P = 0.017) and the left shoulder 51.9 vs. 66.0 (P = 0.000). Kayakers who had experienced shoulder pain were also observed with a scapular dyskinesis (n = 15 of 17 kayakers) to a significantly higher degree (P = 0.001) than kayakers with no reported shoulder pain. Findings suggest that screening for scapular dyskinesis and testing for rotational range of motion in the shoulder joint is essential in order to treat and maybe prevent shoulder pain in kayakers.

Muscle injuries of the lower extremity: a comparison between young and old male elite soccer players.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to make a comparison between players in two age groups in an elite male soccer team regarding injury localisation within the muscle-tendon unit, injury size and muscle group in terms of muscle injuries of the lower extremity. METHODS: Cohort study based on data collected from a Swedish elite male soccer team during the seasons 2007-2012. In total, 145 muscle injuries were included. Injury localisation to the tendon or muscle, the size of haematoma and the affected muscle group were assessed using ultrasound. Age comparison was made between younger players (≤23 years) and older players (>23 years). RESULTS: No difference regarding injury localisation to either the tendon or the muscle, or the size of haematoma between the two age groups was found. However, the older group of players suffered a significantly higher number of injuries to the triceps surae than the younger players (p = 0.012). CONCLUSIONS: In a Swedish team of male soccer players at elite level, there was no difference between players 23 years or younger and players older than 23 years, in terms of injury distribution to muscles or tendons. Players older than 23 years sustained more injuries to triceps surae when compared with players 23 years or younger. The clinical relevance is to pay attention to muscle function of triceps surae in older players and to screen those players who may need an injury prevention programme. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II.

Awareness of current recommendations and guidelines regarding strength training for youth.

AIM: Physical conditioning of youth has always been a controversial topic as it raises ethical, physiological, and medical issues. Current recommendations and guidelines suggest that strength training is a relatively safe and worthwhile method in conditioning youth. This, however, requires well-informed coaches who follow age-appropriate strength training recommendations and guidelines, compiles well-designed strength training programs, and provides qualified supervision and instructions. The purpose of this study was to investigate coaches' awareness of current recommendations and guidelines regarding strength training for youth. METHOD: A total of 39 football (US: soccer) coaches (34 males and 5 females) training boys in age groups 8-12 years were included in this study. Data were collected using an attitude statement questionnaire, and the assertions were based upon current recommendations and guidelines. RESULTS: The results revealed significant differences among coaches in terms of knowledge of important aspects of strength training for youth. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggested that coaches in the present study were not aware of the latest recommendations and guidelines regarding strength training for youth.

Experiences of returning to elite alpine skiing after ACL injury and ACL reconstruction.

AIM: To explore the experiences of alpine skiing at the elite level after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury and reconstruction. DESIGN: A qualitative approach where semi-structured interviews were conducted, and an analysis of the manifest content was performed. PARTICIPANTS: Five ski high school students, two male and three female skiers, who had suffered ACL injuries and undergone ACL reconstructions. RESULTS: Seven categories were identified. The participants described their perceived opportunities with regard to returning to alpine skiing after ACL injury and reconstruction as something positive to do with self-belief, being mentally and physically prepared, regaining confidence in their own ability, being given time and using active strategies. In contrast, perceived barriers to a return to elite alpine skiing gave rise to negative feelings, for example, fear, disheartenment, a total lack of or ambivalent confidence in their own ability and the use of passive strategies. CONCLUSION: The two male skiers returned to alpine skiing. They reported confidence in their own ability, active strategies and support on all levels, as well as enhanced physical ability. The female skiers did not return to their pre-injury level of competitive alpine skiing. They stated a lack of support on all levels, deterioration in their physical ability and two out of three reported passive strategies and no or ambivalent confidence in their own ability. The most important factors were family support, support on all levels, access to a physiotherapist and time given.

Symptoms of eating disorders and low energy availability in recreational active female runners.

Objectives: This retrospective, cross-sectional study aimed to investigate symptoms of eating disorders (EDs) and low energy availability (LEA) among recreational female runners. Methods: Females (18-39 years) (n=89) participating in running group sessions organised by running clubs and companies were recruited via social media and completed an anonymous online survey compromising the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q) and Low Energy Availability in Females Questionnaire (LEAF-Q). An EDE-Q global score ≥2.3 and a LEAF-Q total score ≥8 (in combination with an injury score≥2 and/or menstruation dysfunction score≥4) were used to categorise subjects as having symptoms of EDs and LEA, respectively. Results: Among the subjects fulfilling the age criteria (n=85), 18% (n=15) had symptoms of EDs and 19% (n=16) had symptoms of LEA. Of those with symptoms of EDs, 13% (n=2) had concomitant symptoms of LEA. The higher the EDE-Q dietary restraint score, the higher the gastrointestinal problem score (r=0.23, p=0.04), otherwise no other associations were found between EDE-Q global or subscale scores and LEAF-Q scores. Conclusion: Our results indicate that symptoms of EDs and LEA are frequent among adult females at all athletic levels, including the recreational level. Hence, to prevent the negative health consequences of EDs and LEA, preventative initiatives are also needed in recreational running communities.

Upper Secondary School Pupils' Experience of a Lifestyle Plan Based on Physical Power, Mental Harmony, and Social Capacity.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to illustrate upper secondary school pupils' experience using a self-administered web-based health-promoting tool, the Swedish Physical Power, Mental Harmony, and Social Capacity (FMS) student profile. METHOD: Five upper secondary schools in Sweden were included. Focus group interviews with pupils (10 girls, 5 boys, 15-19 years) were conducted, and data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. RESULT: Two themes were generated from six categories: a sense of participation and self-control of health: everyday well-being, objective formulation, disappointment, health awareness, limitations, and health-promoting change. The participants experienced that using the FMS made them aware of factors that influence their health. They also reported that being given feedback visually from the FMS, peers, and staff involved in the school was beneficial in increasing their motivation to maintain a health-promoting change regarding physical activity and lifestyle factors. CONCLUSION: The use of a self-administered web-based health-promoting tool is viewed as beneficial for raising awareness and motivation to implement strategies that help attain a healthier lifestyle in upper secondary school students regarding factors affecting perceived health.

Injury profile of competitive alpine skiers: a five-year cohort study.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to make a survey of injuries in young elite alpine skiers. METHODS: During 5 years, all students at the Swedish Ski High schools were prospectively followed regarding injuries, time of exposure, injury location, type of injury, injury severity and gender. Four hundred and thirty-one skiers, 215 males and 216 females completed the entire study. RESULTS: Of 431 skiers, 193 (91 males, 102 females) sustained 312 injuries during the 5-year study period. The injury incidence for males was 1.62 injuries/1,000 ski hours or 2.97 injuries/100 months at a Ski High school, and the corresponding values for females were 1.77 and 3.25, respectively. Forty-one percent of the injuries involved the knee, 69% were ligament injuries, and 49% were classified as severe injuries. Of 190 injured skiers, 120 injured their left leg (P = 0.0097). This was their first time injury. The risk of sustaining a re-injury or a new injury increased the sooner the first time injury occurred (P = 0.001). CONCLUSION: There was a high risk for alpine ski students to sustain an injury during their education at the Swedish Ski High schools. Most injuries, especially ligament injuries, occurred in the knee joint in both males and females. Both genders were more likely to sustain injuries to the left than to the right leg. Nearly 50% of the injuries were classified as severe. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II.

Health profile with body mass index and physical fitness in Swedish adolescents: a cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVES: Physical inactivity and poor physical fitness in children and adolescents are growing public health problems globally. This study aimed to investigate the correlation between Body Mass Index (BMI) and three physical fitness components, including overall fitness, according to the Swedish Physical power, Mental harmony and Social capacity profile (FMS profile). Another aim was to investigate the test-retest reliability of the FMS questionnaire and fitness tests. METHODS: A total of 3,692 male and female adolescents in Sweden, between year 2004 and 2013, aged from 16 to 18 years old, were included. Height and weight data were collected to calculate the Body mass index (BMI). The participants performed physical fitness tests, which measure cardio-respiratory fitness, muscular strength and flexibility. The test-retest study included 18 adolescents, aged 16. They answered the FMS questionnaire and participated in the fitness tests with one-week interval. RESULTS: A weak inverse relationship between BMI and physical fitness was found: r=-0.06 to -0.07 (p<0.05) for flexibility, r=-0.13 to 0.10 (p<0.001) for strength, r=-0.14 to -0.33 (p<0.001) for cardiorespiratory fitness, and r=-0.15 to -0.27 (p<0.001) for overall fitness. In the test-retest study, the ICC's for strength, flexibility and balance were 0.94, 0.96 and 0.89, respectively. The ICC's for the questions regarding lifestyle ranged from 0.75 to 1.00 and for diet, physical activity and drugs were 0.56, 0.44 and 0.58, respectively. The correlation was stronger in overweight/obese individuals compared to normal weight individuals. CONCLUSION: Overweight and obese individuals scored lower in the fitness tests compared to their normal weight counterparts. The test-retest study revealed that the FMS questionnaire and fitness tests are reliable tools.

Association between Physical Fitness, Physical Activity Level and Sense of Coherence in Swedish Adolescents; An Analysis of Age and Sex Differences.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to investigate the association between physical fitness, physical activity, and sense of coherence (SOC) in Swedish adolescents (n = 2028 males, n = 1287 females) aged 14 to 18 using a cross-sectional design. METHODS: Using the Swedish Physical power Mental harmony and Social capacity (FMS) student profile, participants performed physical tests measuring their cardiovascular ability (CV) and muscular strength. Questionnaires were used to measure physical activity levels (PA), the participation in organized physical training, sedentary behavior (SB), screen time, and SOC value. Multiple linear regression analyses were used to analyze the association between SOC and independent variables. RESULTS: The regression analyses explained a small, shared variance between SOC and the independent variables in boys (4.3%) and girls (3.3%). SB showed a positive association with SOC both in girls (ß = 0.114, p = 0.002) and boys (ß = 0.109, p = 0.013). Abdominal strength was positively associated, while VO2max was inversely associated, with SOC (ß = 0.113, p = 0.022; ß = -0.109, p = 0.026, respectively) in boys. Girls had poorer fitness than boys did across all age groups except at age 18. PA levels decreased from age 14 to 18 in girls and boys, but without differences between sexes. Abdominal strength decreased from age 14 to 18 in girls and boys. In general, girls had lower SOC than boys across all age groups. CONCLUSIONS: Poor sedentary behavior was significantly associated with weaker SOC for both genders, indicating overall physical activity as the most important factor for stronger SOC. However, emotional support in vulnerable environments may have a bigger impact than physical activity or sedentary behavior on the SOC value for adolescents.

Prevention of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries in Competitive Adolescent Alpine Skiers.

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury is one of the most serious injuries among Swedish alpine ski high school students. An ACL injury forces the skier to stop skiing for several months, and some skiers even have to give up their skiing career. Therefore, an ACL injury prevention program might play an important role for alpine skiers. In the present study ski high school students have been followed in terms of ACL injuries during 1-2 ski seasons between 2006/2007 and 2012/2013. Alpine skiers studying at the Swedish ski high schools during the ski seasons 2011/2012 and 2012/2013 received a specific ACL injury prevention program (n = 305), while alpine skiers who attended a Swedish ski high school between the ski seasons 2006/2007 and 2010/2011 served as controls (n = 431). The prevention program was based on earlier studies and included indoor and outdoor exercises on snow focusing on core stability and neuromuscular control. Alpine skiing is an equilateral sport. Therefore, the goal of the prevention was to encourage the skiers to practice these exercises in order to perform equally good on both legs. The outcome measure consisted of the number and incidence of ACL injuries. The 2 years of prevention resulted in 12 ACL injuries (3.9%) compared with 35 ACL injuries during the control period (8.1%). The absolute risk rate showed a decreased incidence rate of -0.216 [CI -0.001-(-0.432)]/100 months attending a ski high school in favor of the intervention group. A prevention program focusing on the skier's ability to perform neuromuscular exercises equally good on both legs led to a reduction of ACL injuries.

Obesity prevalence in a cohort of women in early pregnancy from a neighbourhood perspective.

BACKGROUND: The evidence of an association between neighbourhood deprivation and overweight is established for different populations. However no previous studies on neighbourhood variations in obesity in pregnant women were found. In this study we aimed to determine whether obesity during early pregnancy varied by neighbourhood economic status. METHODS: A register based study on 94,323 primiparous pregnant women in 586 Swedish neighbourhoods during the years 1992-2001. Multilevel technique was used to regress obesity prevalence on socioeconomic individual-level variables and the neighbourhood economic status. Five hundred and eighty-six neighbourhoods in the three major cities of Sweden, Stockholm, Göteborg and Malmö, during 1992-2001, were included. The majority of neighbourhoods had a population of 4 00010 000 inhabitants. RESULTS: Seven per cent of the variation in obesity prevalence was at the neighbourhood level and the odds of being obese were almost doubled in poor areas. CONCLUSION: Our findings supports a community approach in the prevention of obesity in general and thus also in pregnant women.

Back to work - a two-year outcome of a multidisciplinary rehabilitation programme focused on physical function and pain.

PURPOSE: To analyze why some responded positively to rehabilitation and why some did not. METHOD: Sixty participants with musculoskeletal disorders, mainly neck and back pain participated in a 7-week rehabilitation programme which was based on a combination of theoretical and practical education and physical activities. Before and after the programme and 6, 12 and 24 months after completion of the programme all participants were evaluated with the Disability Rating Index (DRI) and Pain Intensity Rating on a Visual analogue scale (VAS). RESULTS: In the participants who had full-time sick leave from the start of the programme to the 2-year follow-up (Group I) self-experienced physical disability and pain ratings were high and showed no decrease and were maintained up until the 2-year follow-up. For the participants who had part-time sick leave or no sick leave (Group II) physical disability and pain ratings were initially lower than in Group I and decreased gradually, (p < 0.01) and (p < 0.05), respectively throughout the 2-year follow-up period. CONCLUSION: Participants in Group I did not benefit from the rehabilitation programme and did not show improvement in their physical disability and pain rating. Group II showed decreased physical disability and pain rating. The decrease was gradual and was maintained up until the 2-year follow-up period. These results may indicate that persons with musculoskeletal pain with severe disability and pain require other rehabilitation programmes than those with moderate symptoms. This research has highlighted the need for development of such programmes.

Physical activity and health among adolescents with cerebral palsy in Sweden.

UNLABELLED: Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most common disorder of movement and posture in children. The disorder results from a non-progressive brain lesion occurring in the fetal or infant brain. Children with CP have challenges with movement, posture, and mobility that last a life time. Few studies describe physical activity and health among adolescents with CP. AIM: The aim of this study was to describe self-related health, physical activity, and body complaints among adolescents with CP in Sweden. METHODS: A questionnaire was answered by 64 adolescents with CP, with 143 adolescents without disabilities serving as controls. RESULTS: Adolescents with CP reported their general health to be better than adolescents without disabilities (p = .001). Adolescents with CP participated less than adolescents without disabilities in sport during recreation time (p = .009). About 19% of adolescents with CP were never or seldom physically active, compared with 8% in the control group (p = .025). A total of 50% of adolescents with CP reported musculoskeletal complaints during the last three months, compared with 69.5% in the control group. There was a correlation between musculoskeletal complaints and self-related health in adolescents with CP (p = .015) but not in the controls. CONCLUSION: Adolescents with CP reported their general health to be good. Adolescents with CP were less physically active than adolescents without disabilities. There was a correlation between musculoskeletal complaints and self-related health among adolescents with CP. Further research is needed to determine the cause of the low physical activity among adolescents with CP and also to determine the relationship between musculoskeletal complaints and physical activity.

Physical self-esteem, a five year follow-up study on Swedish adolescents.

UNLABELLED: This study describes the levels and inter-correlations of physical self-esteem, physical activity, body mass index (BMI), and body fat and, in addition, distinctive of individuals with high vs. low physical self-worth in a longitudinal design during adolescence. METHODS: At mean ages 12.7, 15.7, and 17.7 years, physical activity (steps/day) was measured for four consecutive schooldays of 77 (41 girls) Swedish adolescents. Perceived physical self-esteem, height, weight, and at ages 15.7 and 17.7 years, body fat percent was also measured. RESULTS: Boys' physical self-perception scores were higher than girls' and an overall stability during adolescents was seen. High and low physical self-worth had a significant impact regarding BMI at ages 12.7 and 17.7 years and regarding body fat at age 17.7 years in both boys and girls. CONCLUSIONS: Regression analysis indicated that BMI and body fat counter-predicted self-worth in girls age-dependently. Efforts to build adapted physical activity programs for overweight and obese are emphasized.

Self-related health, physical activity, BMI and musculoskeletal complaints: a comparison between foreign and Swedish high school students.

UNLABELLED: Physical activities during leisure time and school hours as well as nutritional habits have changed over the past years by adolescents being less physically active and adopting a sedentary life-style. The aim of the present study was to investigate possible differences between foreign and Swedish high school students in terms of self-related health, physical activity, overweight, and possible complaints from the musculoskeletal system. METHODS: 1,090 high school students, 450 with foreign background and 640 with Swedish background, aged 16-26 years answered a questionnaire. RESULTS: A higher percentage of students with foreign background reported poor self-related health compared with students with Swedish background (p = .038). Students with a foreign background were to a greater extent less physically active than students of Swedish background (p = .003). No differences were found between the groups regarding musculoskeletal complaints. Students with foreign background were more often overweight than students with Swedish background and overweight was more frequent among males than females. Physical activity (moderate and high level) was concluded to be a factor with significant positive effect on self-related general health (moderate level p = .042, high level (p < .001), and musculoskeletal complaints were negative factors on self-related general health (p < .001). CONCLUSION: The results suggest that adolescents with foreign background should participate in physical activity to prevent overweight and thereby improve physical health.

Back to work--evaluation of a multidisciplinary rehabilitation programme with emphasis on musculoskeletal disorders. A two-year follow-up.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the 2-year outcome of a multidisciplinary rehabilitation programme for working-age people, regarding sick leave and mental health. METHOD: The test persons consisted of 40 women and 20 men (mean age 46.8 +/- SD 7.9) with musculoskeletal disorders, mainly neck and back pain. The rehabilitation programme was individually adapted and consisted of physical activity in several forms, relaxation, theoretical and practical education and individual guidance. Before, during and after the programme all participants were evaluated with the Global Self-Efficacy Index, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and stress test. RESULTS: At the 2-year follow-up full-time sick leave had decreased by 37% (p < 0.0001) in the women, and by 25% (p < 0.05) in the men. Both women and men showed an increased quality of life (QoL) and decreased anxiety, depression and self-experienced stress at the 2-year follow-up compared with the start of the rehabilitation programme. CONCLUSIONS: The most important conclusion was that the effects of the rehabilitation programme persisted for up to 2 years. At 2 years the majority of the participants were still physically active, their QoL was increased, and most participants had returned to work.

Physical activity, health, body mass index, sleeping habits and body complaints in Australian senior high school students.

UNLABELLED: Adolescents in the industrial world are becoming less physically active and are increasingly adopting a sedentary life-style in front of computers and television screens. OBJECTIVE: to determine self-related health, physical activity, sleeping habits, prevalence of overweight, and body complaints in Australian senior high school students. METHODS: Participants were 466 high school students aged 15-17 years enrolled in academic and vocational programs. A questionnaire was completed at two senior high schools with questions about weight and height, health, physical activity, type of physical activity/sport, intensity, sleeping habits, and possible injuries or complaints during the last three months. RESULTS: Seventy seven percent of the high school students participated in sports on a regular basis. Compared with vocational programs, more males and females in academic programs participated in sports (71% and 80% respectively) (p = .036). Males reported significantly better health than females (p < .0001). 65% of the study group reported body complaints during the last 3 months. A higher number of females than males reported complaints about the back (p = .007) and the hip (p = .05). Good sleep was reported in 82.1% of males and in 76.6% of females. In males, 44.3% were often sleepy in the daytime (females 56.6%, p < .01). CONCLUSIONS: Underweight, physical activity and good sleep are factors with significant positive effect on good health, whereas overweight is a negative factor. Proper sleep habits and higher physical activity levels should be promoted among high school students, and TV viewing time and video game use restricted. Additionally, schools should provide opportunities for young people to participate in a wider range of physical activities that address their individual needs while promoting the health benefits of engaging in regular exercise.