The Relationship Between Physical Activity and Life Satisfaction of Russian Students

Experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) consider subjective well-being such as a more important indicator of social progress than gross domestic product (WHO, 2011). At the same time, young age is the period when a trajectory of well-being and behavior patterns are established that persist throughout life (Lim, Cappa, Patton, 2017). Therefore, it is so important to research life satisfaction of young people. The WHO proclaims physical activity to be the leading factor in the health and well-being of the population. Thus, a physical activity strategy for European countries for 2016–2025 was initiated (WHO, 2016), which was also adopted by Russia. In Russia, the promotion of physical activity is facilitated by the Federal Target Program "Development of Physical Culture and Sports in the Russian Federation for 2016–2020", "Strategy for the Development of Physical Culture and Sports in the Russian Federation for the period until 2020". In addition to these measures, Russia is actively beginning to promote a culture of physical activity in the student environment, holding student marathons and hosting programs at the university level. Identifying the impact of physical activity on student life satisfaction can help develop public physical activity policies for young people, thereby improving society well-being. The purpose of this study is to assess the influence of physical activity of Russian students on their life satisfaction.