Laajili Taysir, Kató Csaba, Szabó Zsolt Gábor, Lukács Andrea
School of Doctoral Studies, Hungarian University of Sport Sciences, Budapest, Hungary.
Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Miskolc, Miskolc, Hungary.
Womens Health Rep (New Rochelle). 2025 Jan 14;6(1):43-49. doi: 10.1089/whr.2024.0119. eCollection 2025.
Competing at a high level is challenging for athletes, both mentally and physically. Intense sport engagement is not always beneficial for health. This study investigates and compares self-esteem, wellbeing, and health status among athletes at different levels. In addition, it examines whether the type of sport (individual versus team) affects the self-esteem and wellbeing.
A quantitative, observational survey was conducted, involving 296 female participants aged 18-35 years divided into three groups based on their sport performance: high-performance athletes (41%), recreational athletes (27%), and individuals with no or lower levels of physical activity (32%). The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, WHO-5 Well-Being Index, and the EuroQol Visual Analogue Scale were used to measure self-esteem, wellbeing, and health status, respectively.
High-performance athletes exhibited significantly higher self-esteem, wellbeing, and health status compared with individuals with no or lower levels of physical activity. Recreational athletes showed better wellbeing than individuals with no or lower levels of physical activity and had no significant differences from high-performance athletes in any parameter. Results were not affected by whether the sport was individual or team-based.
These findings highlight that regular sport participation, whether at a recreational or high-performance level, provides substantial mental and physical health benefits, while individuals with no or lower levels of physical activity experience significantly lower levels of self-esteem, subjective wellbeing, and health. The findings of this study suggest that regular sport activity, regardless of competitive level, provides substantial benefits, underscoring the importance of maintaining a physically active lifestyle.
高水平竞技对运动员来说在精神和身体上都具有挑战性。高强度的体育活动并不总是对健康有益。本研究调查并比较了不同水平运动员的自尊、幸福感和健康状况。此外，还考察了运动类型（个人项目与团队项目）是否会影响自尊和幸福感。
进行了一项定量观察性调查，涉及296名年龄在18 - 35岁的女性参与者，根据她们的运动表现分为三组：高水平运动员（41%）、业余运动员（27%）以及没有或体育活动水平较低的个体（32%）。分别使用罗森伯格自尊量表、WHO - 5幸福感指数和欧洲五维度健康量表来测量自尊、幸福感和健康状况。
与没有或体育活动水平较低的个体相比，高水平运动员表现出显著更高的自尊、幸福感和健康状况。业余运动员的幸福感比没有或体育活动水平较低的个体更好，并且在任何参数上与高水平运动员均无显著差异。结果不受运动是个人项目还是团队项目的影响。
这些发现突出表明，定期参加体育活动，无论是在业余水平还是高水平，都能带来显著的身心健康益处，而没有或体育活动水平较低的个体自尊、主观幸福感和健康水平明显较低。本研究结果表明，无论竞技水平如何，定期进行体育活动都能带来显著益处，强调了保持积极身体活动生活方式的重要性。
