Towards active health: a study of the relationship between physical activity and the health of primary and secondary school teachers

Abstract

Abstract Background Active health is a new concept, model, and system to maintain the state of whole-person health. In the context of the increasingly serious health problems of primary and secondary school teachers, it is of great significance to explore the relationship between physical activity and primary and secondary school teachers' health based on the active health perspective. Methods The International Physical Activity Scale, the Body Imagery State Scale, and the General Self-Efficacy Scale were used to survey 741 primary and secondary school teachers in three representative provinces and cities in the eastern, central, and western regions of China, and the data were analyzed using SPSS 25.0 and Amos 24.0 software. Results There were no significant differences in body image and self-efficacy by gender, but the body image and self-rated health of teachers of different age groups showed a bipartite and "V" shaped distribution; the physical activity of female teachers (2456.46) was higher than that of male teachers (2297.86); and female teachers had better body The physical activity of female teachers (2456.46) was higher than that of male teachers (2297.86); the physical fitness of female teachers was better than that of male teachers; there was a significant positive correlation between physical activity, body image, self-efficacy, and health status; body image and self-efficacy partially mediated the relationship between physical activity and health status, and the mediating effect accounted for 82.31% of the total effect. Conclusions Primary and secondary school teachers have real problems such as teachers' physical activity is generally insufficient, teachers' body image status is generally poor, and teachers' self-efficacy is low; physical activity is an important factor in promoting primary and secondary school teachers' health status, and low, medium, and high levels of activity all have a promoting effect on the health of primary and secondary school teachers, and the more active primary and secondary school teachers are in terms of physical activity, the better their body image, self-efficacy, and health status are, and the more active primary and secondary school teachers are in terms of physical activity, the more positive the physical activity, self-efficacy, and health status are. The more physically active primary and secondary school teachers are, the better their physical intention, self-efficacy and health status are. Suggestions improve the quality and effectiveness, promote the concept of active health among teachers; empower teachers, strengthen the institutional protection of teachers' health; reduce the burden and increase the quantity,and optimise the supply of health services for teachers.