Girls who spend more time in vigorous physical activity do better in school, even if they are not particularly fit.
Girls who spend more time in vigorous physical activity do better in school, even if they are not particularly fit.
To examine associations between light, moderate, and vigorous physical activity and academic achievement, researchers identified 232 Swedish students (52 percent were girls) who were 16 years old on average and attending ninth grade. They tallied students' grades in language, science, math, history and other school subjects. They assessed students' overall physical activity by having each wear an accelerometer - a physical activity meter similar to a pedometer - for 4 consecutive days that included at least one weekend day. The researchers determined students' overall fitness from timed stationery bicycle tests.
On average, it was found that the girls spent 69 minutes and the boys spent 81 minutes a day in moderate activities such as hiking, skateboarding, or rollerblading, and vigorous activity such as soccer, running, tennis, and basketball. The link between vigorous physical activity and academic achievement in girls was evident after the researchers allowed for numerous social and family factors potentially associated with academic achievement, and also for girls' individual measures of fitness.
However, in boys, who were consistently more physically active overall, only fitness appeared linked with academic achievement. While the findings hint at an association between vigorous physical activity and academic achievement in girls, they did not study the cause and effect of the same.
To examine associations between light, moderate, and vigorous physical activity and academic achievement, researchers identified 232 Swedish students (52 percent were girls) who were 16 years old on average and attending ninth grade. They tallied students' grades in language, science, math, history and other school subjects. They assessed students' overall physical activity by having each wear an accelerometer - a physical activity meter similar to a pedometer - for 4 consecutive days that included at least one weekend day. The researchers determined students' overall fitness from timed stationery bicycle tests.
On average, it was found that the girls spent 69 minutes and the boys spent 81 minutes a day in moderate activities such as hiking, skateboarding, or rollerblading, and vigorous activity such as soccer, running, tennis, and basketball. The link between vigorous physical activity and academic achievement in girls was evident after the researchers allowed for numerous social and family factors potentially associated with academic achievement, and also for girls' individual measures of fitness.
However, in boys, who were consistently more physically active overall, only fitness appeared linked with academic achievement. While the findings hint at an association between vigorous physical activity and academic achievement in girls, they did not study the cause and effect of the same.
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