Impact of a Before-School Physical Activity Program on Children's Subjective Well-Being: Secondary Findings From the Active-Start Study

Objective The aim of the study was to test a before-school physical activity intervention (Active-Start) on subjective well-being in socioeconomically disadvantaged Chilean children. Method The Active-Start intervention was a randomized controlled trial involving 170 children aged 8 to 10 from 3 highly vulnerable public schools in Santiago (Chile). The physical activity intervention was delivered daily, before starting the first school-class (8:00–8:30 a.m.) for 8 weeks. Subjective well-being was assessed using validated instruments: the CUBE scale for life satisfaction and a 10-item affect scale for positive and negative emotions. The analyses used were generalized linear mixed models. Results The intervention significantly increased positive emotions in boys (B = 0.56, 95% confidence intervals [CI] 0.13 to 0.99, P = .011) and girls (B = 0.25, 95% CI 0.02 to 0.48, P = .044). Boys also showed an improvement in overall subjective well-being (z-score: B = 1.05, 95% CI 0.05 to 2.15, P = .041). Specifically, boys reported higher levels of happiness (B = 0.58, 95% CI 0.14 to 1.02, P = .031), contentment (B = 0.69, 95% CI 0.16 to 1.22, P = .012), and fun (B = 0.89, 95% CI 0.31 to 1.47, P = .003). In contrast, changes in life satisfaction and negative emotions were not significant for either sex. Conclusions Our findings suggest that engaging in morning physical activity before starting classes increases positive emotions (such as happiness, contentment, and fun) in children from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds, particularly among boys. This improvement in emotional well-being could enhance their mood and readiness for learning.