Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors Associated with Subjective Well-Being at School in Adolescents

Background/Objectives: This study aimed to examine whether regular exercise and healthy nutrition behaviors are associated with subjective well-being at school among adolescents. Methods: This descriptive study was conducted with 272 high school students aged 15-18 years who participated on a voluntary basis. Data were collected using the Nutrition and Exercise Behavior Scale, the Subjective Well-Being at School Scale, and a demographic information form. Descriptive statistics, group comparisons, correlation analyses, and regression analyses were performed to evaluate the relationships between lifestyle behaviors and subjective well-being at school. Results: The mean age of the participants was 16.27 ± 0.88 years; 55.9% were female and 44.1% were male. According to Body Mass Index (BMI) classification, 15.4% were underweight, 62.9% were normal weight, 16.2% were overweight, and 5.5% were obese. No statistically significant differences were found in subjective well-being at school scores according to gender or BMI categories (p > 0.05). Regression analysis indicated that healthy nutrition and exercise behaviors were positively associated with subjective well-being at school (β = 0.380, p < 0.001), whereas psychological/dependent eating behaviors were negatively associated with subjective well-being at school (β = -0.171, p = 0.043). Conclusions: Healthy nutrition and exercise behaviors were significantly associated with subjective well-being at school among adolescents. School-based lifestyle interventions may help support adolescents' well-being at school and may inform future health promotion strategies.