*Limitations*

This study presents some limitations. Although perceived health status evaluated with a single item is considered a valid measurement method, using self-rating tools may encompass risks, such as invalid responses, social desirability biases, or general response biases [40]. Additionally, health status has been evaluated with a single item. Given the complex structure of such a variable, a single item might not reflect such condition in full. However, we decided not to burden the participants with an excessively long series of items, in accordance with previous literature on the topic [41,42], and based it on singleitem assessment that has been validated [43]. Additionally, our analysis of potential agents of perceived health could not include several other variables that are also known to be associated with it, such as personality traits [44], dietary patterns [45], or family situation and social support networks [46].

In the future, this type of study could also expand to explore potential differences in such network of variables based on school location (for instance, type of neighborhood, urban vs. rural) or school type (public or private). Another interesting addition to this research could be represented by a deeper analysis of participants' sports habits both within sports clubs and during leisure time, since the type of exercise is known to potentially affect health-related parameters [47].
