University of Tasmania
Browse

File(s) not publicly available

Relation of Academic Performance to Physical Activity and Fitness in Children

journal contribution
posted on 2023-05-16, 13:10 authored by Terry DwyerTerry Dwyer, Sallis, JF, Christopher BlizzardChristopher Blizzard, Lazarus, R, Dean, K
The objective of this study was to examine the association of scholastic performance with physical activity and fitness of children. To do so, school ratings of scholastic ability on a five-point scale for a nationally representative sample of 7,961 Australian schoolchildren aged 7-15 years were compared with physical activity and fitness measurements. Consistently across age and sex groups, the ratings were significantly correlated with questionnaire measures of physical activity and with performance on the 1.6-kilometer run, sit-ups and push-ups challenges, 50-meter sprint, and standing long jump. There were no significant associations for physical work capacity at a heart rate of 170 (PWC 170). The results are concordant with the hypothesis that physical activity enhances academic performance, but the cross-sectional nature of the observations limits causal inference, and the disparity for PWC 170 gives reason to question whether the associations were due to measurement bias or residual confounding.

History

Publication title

Pediatric Exercise Science

Volume

13

Pagination

225-237

ISSN

0899-8493

Department/School

Menzies Institute for Medical Research

Publisher

Human Kinetics Publishers Inc

Place of publication

Champaign, IL, USA

Repository Status

  • Restricted

Socio-economic Objectives

Neonatal and child health

Usage metrics

    University Of Tasmania

    Exports

    RefWorks
    BibTeX
    Ref. manager
    Endnote
    DataCite
    NLM
    DC