Leisure activities and mental well-being among adolescents across Norwegian municipalities

BACKGROUND: Engagement in organized leisure activities (OLAs) may benefit health and well-being in adolescents. The social inequalities in OLA participation, and growing share of non-participants, is a public health concern in Norway. Thus, the present study aims to examine the association between OLA participation and mental health outcomes, and the interaction effect of overall share of adolescents participating in OLAs at municipal level. METHODS: This study, based on the nationwide Ungdata survey, includes 342,161 adolescents attending lower and upper secondary education in 276 municipalities in Norway between 2019 and 2022. A series of two-level random intercept models were fitted to distinguish the individual and municipality sources of variation in adolescents’ mental well-being measured by depression symptom scores and quality of life. RESULTS: Adolescents’ participation in OLAs varied considerably between Norwegian municipalities from lowest 33 % to highest 88 %. Being female, increase in age and decrease in family affluence level was negatively associated with both OLA participation and mental wellbeing. Overall, and particularly among girls and the least affluence adolescents, participation in OLAs was associated with higher quality of life and lower depressive symptoms. Among girls, the positive association between OLA participation (at individual level) and mental well-being was most evident in municipalities with high share of adolescents participating in OLAs. The overall share of OLA participants in municipality of residence had no or little impact on boys’ mental wellbeing. CONCLUSIONS: Both the personal leisure involvement and the overall share of individuals participating in OLAs at local community level may impact adolescents mental well-being. Ensuring that all adolescents, regardless of family affluence level and gender, are able to participate in OLAs may promote adolescent's mental well-being that benefits the local public health. KEY MESSAGES: • Participation in leisure activities was associated with higher mental well-being in boys and girls, and across the socioeconomic spectrum. • In girls, highest mental wellbeing was observed among individuals living in municipalities with high share of leisure activity participating, and particularly for those who participates themselves.