BACKGROUND: Organized leisure-time activities (OLTA) have been identified as a context suitable for improvement of school performance. This study aimed to assess the associations between participation in OLTA and school engagement, school-related stress, academic achievement and whether these associations differ by specific pattern of OLTA participation, gender and age. Furthermore, it assessed whether OLTA participants are more likely to acquire support for schoolwork from outside the family. METHODS: The sample concerned 10,483 adolescents (49.2% boys) aged 11, 13 and 15 from the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children data collection in 2014 in the Czech Republic. Logistic regressions adjusted for gender and age were used to analyse the associations between participation in OLTA and four education-related outcomes. RESULTS: Participation in OLTA was associated with higher school engagement, lower levels of school-related stress and better academic achievement regardless of gender and age. The strongest associations were observed for adolescents involved in various types of OLTA concurrently, with odds ratios ranging from 1.34 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.17-1.54) for lower school-related stress to 1.97 (95% CI 1.73-2.25) for above-average academic achievement. OLTA participants were also more likely to have a non-familial person to help them with schoolwork, though this association was weaker in 15-year-olds. CONCLUSION: Youth involvement in OLTA is linked to general better school performance and attachment to school. Adolescents participating in more activities at the same time have the best school performance.

Department of Community and Occupational Medicine University Medical Center Groningen University of Groningen Groningen the Netherlands

Department of Health Psychology Faculty of Medicine Safarik University Kosice Slovakia

Graduate School Kosice Institute for Society and Health Safarik University Kosice Slovakia

Institute for Research of Children Youth and Family Faculty of Social Studies Masaryk University Brno Czech Republic

Institute of Active Lifestyle Faculty of Physical Culture Palacky University Olomouc Czech Republic

Olomouc University for Society and Health Institute Palacky University Olomouc Czech Republic

See more in PubMed

Eccles JS, Roeser RW. Schools as developmental contexts during adolescence. J Res Adolescence. 2011;21(1):225–41. 10.1111/j.1532-7795.2010.00725.x DOI

Appleton JJ, Christenson SL, Furlong MJ. Student engagement with school: Critical conceptual and methodological issues of the construct. Psychol Schools. 2008;45(5):369–86. 10.1002/pits.20303 DOI

Strenze T. Intelligence and socioeconomic success: A meta-analytic review of longitudinal research. Intelligence. 2007;35(5):401–26. 10.1016/j.intell.2006.09.004 DOI

Newland LA, Lawler MJ, Giger JT, Roh S, Carr ER. Predictors of children's subjective well-being in rural communities of the United States. Child Indic Res. 2015;8(1):177–98. 10.1007/s12187-014-9287-x DOI

Ravens-Sieberer U, Kökönyei G, Thomas C. School and health In: Currie C, Roberts C, Morgan A, Smith R, Settertobulte W, Samdal O, et al., editors. Young people’s health in context, Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study: International Report from the 2001/2002 survey. Health Policy for Children and Adolescents. 4 ed Copenhagen: WHO Regional Office for Europe; 2004.

Suhrcke M, de Paz Nieves C. The impact of health and health behaviours on educational outcomes in high-income countries: a review of the evidence. Copenhagen: WHO Regional Office for Europe; 2011.

Ottova V, Erhart M, Vollebergh W, Kokonyei G, Morgan A, Gobina I, et al. The role of individual- and macro-level social determinants on young adolescents' psychosomatic complaints. J Early Adolescence. 2012;32(1):126–58. 10.1177/0272431611419510 DOI

Eccles JS, Barber BL, Stone M, Hunt J. Extracurricular activities and adolescent development. J Soc Issues. 2003;59(4):865–89. 10.1046/j.0022-4537.2003.00095.x DOI

Mahoney JL, Cairns RB. Do extracurricular activities protect against early school dropout? Dev Psychol. 1997;33(2):241–53. 10.1037/0012-1649.33.2.241 PubMed DOI

Fredricks JA. Extracurricular participation and academic outcomes: Testing the over-scheduling hypothesis. J Youth Adolescence. 2012;41(3):295–306. 10.1007/s10964-011-9704-0 PubMed DOI

Guevremont A, Findlay L, Kohen D. Organized extracurricular activities: Are in-school and out-of-school activities associated with different outcomes for Canadian youth? J School Health. 2014;84(5):317–25. 10.1111/josh.12154 PubMed DOI

Himelfarb I, Lac A, Baharav H. Examining school-related delinquencies, extracurricular activities, and grades in adolescents. Educ Stud. 2014;40(1):81–97. 10.1080/03055698.2013.821941 DOI

Dotterer AM, McHale SM, Crouter AC. Implications of out-of-school activities for school engagement in African American adolescents. J Youth Adolescence. 2007;36(4):391–401. 10.1007/s10964-006-9161-3 DOI

Knifsend CA, Graham S. Too much of a good thing? How breadth of extracurricular participation relates to school-related affect and academic outcomes during adolescence. J Youth Adolescence. 2012;41(3):379–89. 10.1007/s10964-011-9737-4 PubMed DOI

Darling N. Participation in extracurricular activities and adolescent adjustment: Cross-sectional and longitudinal findings. J Youth Adolescence. 2005;34(5):493–505. 10.1007/s10964-005-7266-8 DOI

Larson RW. Toward a psychology of positive youth development. Am Psychol. 2000;55(1):170–83. 10.1037//0003-066x.55.1.170 PubMed DOI

Covay E, Carbonaro W. After the bell: Participation in extracurricular activities, classroom behavior, and academic achievement. Sociol Educ. 2010;83(1):20–45. 10.1177/0038040709356565 DOI

Fischer N, Theis D. Extracurricular participation and the development of school attachment and learning goal orientation: The impact of school quality. Dev Psychol. 2014;50(6):1788–93. 10.1037/a0036705 PubMed DOI

Crean HF. Youth activity involvement, neighborhood adult support, individual decision making skills, and early adolescent delinquent behaviors: Testing a conceptual model. J Appl Dev Psychol. 2012;33(4):175–88. 10.1016/j.appdev.2012.04.003 DOI

Schaefer DR, Simpkins SD, Vest AE, Price CD. The contribution of extracurricular activities to adolescent friendships: New insights through social network analysis. Dev Psychol. 2011;47(4):1141–52. 10.1037/a0024091 PubMed DOI PMC

Metzger A, Crean HF, Forbes-Jones EL. Patterns of organized activity participation in urban, early adolescents associations with academic achievement, problem behaviors, and perceived adult support. J Early Adolescence. 2009;29(3):426–42. 10.1177/0272431608322949 DOI

Dworkin JB, Larson R, Hansen D. Adolescents' accounts of growth experiences in youth activities. J Youth Adolescence. 2003;32(1):17–26. 10.1023/a:1021076222321 DOI

Fredricks JA, Eccles JS. Is extracurricular participation associated with beneficial outcomes? Concurrent and longitudinal relations. Dev Psychol. 2006;42(4):698–713. 10.1037/0012-1649.42.4.698 PubMed DOI

Sharp EH, Tucker CJ, Baril ME, Van Gundy KT, Rebellon CJ. Breadth of participation in organized and unstructured leisure activities over time and rural adolescents' functioning. J Youth Adolescence. 2015;44(1):62–76. 10.1007/s10964-014-0153-4 PubMed DOI

Fredricks JA, Eccles JS. Breadth of extracurricular participation and adolescent adjustment among African-American and European-American youth. J Res Adolescence. 2010;20(2):307–33. 10.1111/j.1532-7795.2009.00627.x PubMed DOI PMC

Currie C, Gabhainn SN, Godeau E, International HBSC Network Coordinating Committee. The Health Behaviour in School-aged Children: WHO Collaborative Cross-National (HBSC) Study: origins, concept, history and development 1982–2008. Int J Public Health. 2009;54:131–9. 10.1007/s00038-009-5404-x PubMed DOI

Bosakova L, Kolarcik P, Bobakova D, Sulcova M, Van Dijk JP, Reijneveld SA, et al. Test-retest reliability of the scale of participation in organized activities among adolescents in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Int J Public Health. 2015; 1–8. 10.1007/s00038-015-0749-9 PubMed DOI

Lerner RM. Promoting positive youth development: theoretical and empirical bases. Washington, DC: National Research Council/Institute of Medicine National Academy of Sciences; 2005.

Pitel L, Geckova AM, Kolarcik P, Halama P, Reijneveld SA, van Dijk JP. Gender differences in the relationship between religiosity and health-related behaviour amond adolescents. J Epidemiol Commun H. 2012;66(12):1122–1128. 10.1136/jech-2011-200914 PubMed DOI

Hansen DM, Skorupski WP, Arrington TL. Differences in developmental experiences for commonly used categories of organized youth activities. J Appl Dev Psychol. 2010;31(6):413–421. 10.1016/j.appdev.2010.07.001 DOI

Badura P, Geckova AM, Sigmundova D, van Dijk JP, Reijneveld SA. When children play, they feel better: Organized activity participation and health in adolescents. BMC Public Health. 2015;15(1):1090 10.1186/s12889-015-2427-5 PubMed DOI PMC

Currie C, Inchley J, Molcho M, Lenzi M, Veselska Z, Wild F, editors. Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study protocol: Background, methodology and mandatory items for the 2013/2014 survey. St. Andrews: Cahru; 2014.

Elgar FJ, Pförtner TK, Moor I, De Clercq B, Stevens GWJM, Currie C. Socioeconomic inequalities in adolescent health 2002–2010: a time-series analysis of 34 countries participaing in the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study. Lancet. 2015;385(9982):2088–2095. 10.1016/S0140-6736(14)61460-4 PubMed DOI

Currie C, Molcho M, Boyce W, Holstein B, Torsheim T, Richter M. Researching health inequalities in adolescents: The development of the Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children (HBSC) Family Affluence Scale. Soc Sci Med. 2008;66:1429–1436. 10.1016/j.socscimed.2007.11.024 PubMed DOI

Boyce W, Torsheim T, Currie C, Zambon A. The family affluence scale as a measure of national wealth: Validation of an adolescent self-report measure. Soc Indic Res. 2006;78:473–487.

Sigmundova D, Sigmund E, Vokacova J, Kopcakova J. Parent-child associations in pedometer-determined physical activity and sedentary behaviour on weekdays and weekends in random samples of families in the Czech Republic. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2014;11(7):7163–81. 10.3390/ijerph110707163 PubMed DOI PMC

Lerner RM, Bowers EP, Geldhof GJ, Gestsdóttir S, DeSouza L. Promoting positive youth development in the face of contextual changes and challenges: The roles of individual strengths and ecological assets. New Dir Youth Dev. 2012;2012(135):119–28. 10.1002/yd.20034 PubMed DOI

Mueller MK, Phelps E, Bowers ER, Agans JP, Urban JB, Lerner RM. Youth development program participation and intentional self-regulation skills: Contextual and individual bases of pathways to positive youth development. J Adolescence. 2011;34(6):1115–25. 10.1016/j.adolescence.2011.07.010 PubMed DOI

Esteban-Cornejo I, Hallal PC, Mielke GI, Menezes AMB, Gonçalves H, Wehrmeister F, Ekelund U, Rombaldi AJ. Physical activity throughout adolescence and cognitive performance at 18 years of age. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2015;47(12):2552–2557. 10.1249/MSS.0000000000000706 PubMed DOI PMC

Domazet SL, Tarp J, Huang T, Gejl AK, Andersen LB, Froberg K, Bugge A. Associations of physical activity, sports participation and active commuting on mathematic performance and inhibitory control in adolescents. PLoS ONE. 2016;11(1):e0146319 10.1371/journal.pone.0146319 PubMed DOI PMC

Metsäpelto RL, Pulkkinen L. Socioemotional behavior and school achievement in relation to extracurricular activity participation in middle childhood. Scand J Educ Res. 2012;56(2):167–82. 10.1080/00313831.2011.581681 DOI

Hansen DM, Larson RW, Dworkin JB. What adolescents learn in organized youth activities: A survey of self-reported developmental experiences. J Res Adolescence. 2003;13(1):25–55. 10.1111/1532-7795.1301006 DOI

Larson RW, Hansen DM, Moneta G. Differing profiles of developmental experiences across types of organized youth activities. Dev Psychol. 2006;42(5):849–63. 10.1037/0012-1649.42.5.849 PubMed DOI

Rose-Krasnor L, Busseri MA, Willoughby T, Chalmers H. Breadth and intensity of youth activity involvement as contexts for positive development. J Youth Adolescence. 2006;35(3):385–99. 10.1007/s10964-006-9037-6 DOI

Haapasalo I, Valimaa R, Kannas L. How comprehensive school students perceive their psychosocial school environment. Scand J Educ Res. 2010;54(2):133–50. 10.1080/00313831003637915 DOI

Pickett W, Dostaler S, Craig W, Janssen I, Simpson K, Shelley SD, et al. Associations between risk behavior and injury and the protective roles of social environments: an analysis of 7235 Canadian school children. Inj Prev. 2006;12(2):87–92. 10.1136/ip.2005.011106 PubMed DOI PMC

Torsheim T, Aaroe LE, Wold B. Sense of coherence and school-related stress as predictors of subjective health complaints in early adolescence: interactive, indirect or direct relationships? Soc Sci Med. 2001;53(5):603–14. 10.1016/s0277-9536(00)00370-1 PubMed DOI

Felder-Puig R, Griebler R, Samdal O, King MA, Freeman J, Duer W. Does the school performance variable used in the international Health Behavior in School-Aged Children (HBSC) study reflect students' school grades? J School Health. 2012;82(9):404–9. 10.1111/j.1746-1561.2012.00715.x PubMed DOI

Vereecken C. Paper pencil versus pc administered querying of a study on health behaviour in school-aged children. Arch Public Health. 2001;59(1):43–61.

Bohnert A, Fredricks J, Randall E. Capturing unique dimensions of youth organized activity involvement: Theoretical and methodological considerations. Rev Educ Res. 2010;80(4):576–610. 10.3102/0034654310364533 DOI

Morris DS. Actively closing the gap? Social class, organized activities, and academic achievement in high school. Youth Soc. 2015;47(2):267–90. 10.1177/0044118x12461159 DOI

Gibbs BG, Erickson LD, Dufur MJ, Miles A. Extracurricular associations and college enrollment. Soc Sci Res. 2015;50:367–81. 10.1016/j.ssresearch.2014.08.013 PubMed DOI

Surveillance of physical activity and sedentary behaviour in czech children and adolescents: a scoping review of the literature from the past two decades

Time-trends and correlates of obesity in Czech adolescents in relation to family socioeconomic status over a 16-year study period (2002-2018)

Unhealthy eating habits and participation in organized leisure-time activities in Czech adolescents

Can organized leisure-time activities buffer the negative outcomes of unstructured activities for adolescents' health?

Adolescent religious attendance and spirituality-Are they associated with leisure-time choices?