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The Relationship between Physical Activity, Weight, and Academic Achievement
Overview:
Understanding the relationship between physical activity, body weight, and academic achievement can help provide schools and organizations with the evidence needed to appropriately design academic and physical activity programming.
At this point, evidence suggests a positive relationship between physical activity and grade point average, rate of learning, classroom behavior, as well as cognitive, social, and motor skill development. Research also suggests that heavier children have greater risk for school absenteeism than their peers.
Data is still scarce and inconclusive regarding the relationship between body weight and academic achievement. This section includes literature investigating the relationship between physical activity, body weight, and academic performance.
Research Highlights:
• Study results show statistically significant relationships between fitness and academic achievement, though the direction of causation is not known (Chomitz, et al., 2009).
• Data analyzed in this study indicate that additional curricular emphasis on physical education may result in small absolute gains in grade point average and strongly suggest a relative increase in performance per unit of academic teaching time (Trudeau, et al., 2008).
• Observations show a positive association between academic performance and physical activity (Trudeau, et al., 2008).
• Data suggest that heavier children have greater risk for school absenteeism than their normal-weight peers (Geier, et al, 2007).
• This study suggests that schools have the potential to influence habitual physical activity among children by encouraging increased participation in extracurricular sport activities, by favoring active commuting to school, and by providing exercise equipment and supervision for youth in their neighborhoods (Trudeau, et al., 2005).
• Available data suggest that the rate of academic learning per unit of class time is enhanced in physically active students (Shephard, 1997).
Academic Research Articles and Findings:
“Physical Activity Across the Curriculum (PAAC): A Randomized Controlled Trial to Promote Physical Activity and Diminish Overweight and Obesity in Elementary School Children” (2009)
• Physical Activity Across the Curriculum (PAAC) was a three-year cluster randomized controlled trial to promote physical activity and diminish increases in overweight and obesity in elementary school children.
• PAAC promoted 90 minutes/week of moderate to vigorous intensity physically active academic lessons delivered by classroom teachers.
• Results indicated that the PAAC approach may promote daily physical activity and academic achievement in elementary school children.
• 75 minutes of PAAC curriculum activities may attenuate increases in body mass index.
Donnelly, Joseph E., Greene, Jerry L., Gibson, Cheryl A., Smith, Bryan K., Washburn, Richard A., Sullivan, Debra K., DuBose, Katrina, Mayo, Matthew S., Schmelzle, Kristin H., Ryan, Joseph J., Jacobsen, Dennis J. and Williams, Shannon L. “Physical Activity Across the Curriculum (PAAC): A randomized controlled trial to promote physical activity and diminish overweight and obesity in elementary school children.” American Journal of Preventive Medicine. 49 (2009): 336-341.
“Physical Fitness and Academic Achievement in Elementary School Children” (2009)
• Fitness, mathematics, and reading/language data were collected from 134 third-fifth-grade children.
• A negative association was noted between the 1-mile run and mathematics scores
• A positive relationship was observed between muscular fitness and mathematics
• This study supports a link between specific components of physical fitness and academic achievement in elementary school children.
Eveland-Sayers, Brandi M., Farley, Richard S., Fuller, Dana K., Morgan, Don W., and Caputo, Jennifer L. “Physical Fitness and Academic Achievement in Elementary School Children.” Journal of Physical Activity and Health. 66 (2009):99-104
“Is There a Relationship Between Physical Fitness and Academic Achievement?” (2009)
• This study assesses the relationship between physical fitness and academic achievement in diverse, urban public school children.
• Results show statistically significant relationships between fitness and academic achievement, though the direction of causation is not known.
Chomitz, Virginia R., Slining, Meghan M., McGowan, Robert T., Mitchell, Suzanne E., Dawson, Glen F. and Hacker, Karen A. “Is There a Relationship Between Physical Fitness and Academic Achievement? Positive Results From Public School Children in Northeastern United States.” Journal of School Health. 79 (2009): 30-37.
“Decreased Scholastic Achievement in Overweight Middle School Students” (2009)
• This study investigates the relationship between scholastic achievement and weight status among 6th and 7th grade students.
• Grade point average, nationally standardized reading scores, school detentions, school suspensions, school attendance, tardiness to school, physical fitness scores, and participation on school athletic teams were compared among nonoverweight, at risk for overweight, and overweight students.
• GPA’s of nonoverweight students were ~ 11% higher than those of the overweight students.
• Overweight students were five times more likely to have 6 or more detentions then nonoverweight students.
• Nonoverweight students had 25% fewer absences and 39% fewer days tardy to school relative to overweight students.
• This study suggests that body mass index is an important indicator of scholastic achievement, attendance, behavior, and physical fitness among middle school students, reiterating the need for healthy lifestyle intervention and prevention measures.
Shore, Stuart M., Sachs, Michael L., Lidicker, Jeffrey R., Brett, Stephanie N., Wright, Adam R. and Libonati, Joseph R. “Decreased Scholastic Achievement in Overweight Middle School Students.” Obesity. 16 (2008): 1535-1538.
“School Recess and Group Classroom Behavior” (2009)
• This study compares the classroom behavior of children 8 to 9 years of age receiving daily recess with that of children not receiving daily recess.
• Results report that children exposed to non/minimal break (30%) were much more likely to be black, from families with lower incomes and lower levels of education, live in large cities, and attend public school, compared with children with recess.
• Having one or more daily recess period of greater then15 minutes is associated with better teacher reported classroom behavior.
Barros, Romina M., Silver, Ellen J. and Stein, Ruth E. K. “School Recess and Group Classroom Behavior.” Pediatrics. 123.2 (2009): 431-436.
“Effects of Weight on Children’s Educational Achievement” (2008)
• Results suggest that, in general, children who are overweight or obese have achievement test scores that are about the same as children with average weight.
• More research examining the relationship between weight and educational achievement is needed.
Kaestner, Robert and Grossman, Michael. “Effects of Weight on Children’s Educational Achievement.” National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper 13764. January, 2008.
“Overweight is Associated with Decreased Cognitive Functioning Among School-age Children and Adolescents” (2008)
• This study examines the associations between academic performance, cognitive functioning, and increased BMI in a nationally representative sample of children.
• Results show increased body weight to be independently associated with decreased visuospatial organization and general mental ability among children.
Li,Yanfeng, Dai, Qi, Jackson, James C. and Zhang, Jian. “Overweight is AssociatedWith Decreased Cognitive Functioning Among School-age Children and Adolescents.” Obesity. 16.8 (2008): 1809–1815.
“Exercise and Children’s Intelligence, Cognition, and Academic Achievement” (2008)
• This study reviews the literature that examines the effects of exercise on children’s intelligence, cognition, or academic achievement.
• Research suggests that gains in children’s mental functioning due to exercise are seen most clearly on tasks that involve executive functions (performing goal-directed actions in complex stimulus environments).
• Exercise is an important method of developing mental functioning that is central to both cognitive and social development.
Tomporowski, Phillip D., Davis, Catherine L., Miller, Patricia H. and Naglieri, Jack A. “Exercise and Children’s Intelligence, Cognition, and Academic Achievement.” Educational Psychology Review. 20.2 (2008): 111-131.
“Physical Education, School Physical Activity, School Sports, and Academic Performance” (2008)
• Data analyzed in this study indicate that additional curricular emphasis on physical education may result in small absolute gains in grade point average and strongly suggest a relative increase in performance per unit of academic teaching time.
• Observations show a positive association between academic performance and physical activity.
• Physical activity has a positive influence on concentration, memory, and classroom behavior.
Trudeau, Francois and Shephard, Roy J. “Physical Education, School Physical Activity, School Sports, and Academic Performance.” International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. 5.10 (2008).
“The Relationship Between Relative Weight and School Attendance Among Elementary Schoolchildren” (2007)
• This study examines the relationship between relative weight and school attendance among 1,069 fourth to sixth graders from nine elementary schools in the inner city of Philadelphia, PA.
• Linear regression showed that the obese category remained a significant contributor to the number of days absent even after adjusting for age, race/ethnicity, and gender.
• Data suggest that heavier children have greater risk for school absenteeism than their normal-weight peers. As the rate of childhood obesity increases, parallel increases in school absenteeism should be expected.
Geier, Andrew B., Foster, Gary, Womble, Leslie G., McLaughlin, Jackie, Borradile, Kelly E., Nachmani, Joan, Sherman, Sandy, Kumanyika, Shiriki and Shults, Justine. “The Relationship Between Relative Weight and School Attendance Among Elementary Schoolchildren.” Obesity. 15 (2007): 2157-2161.
“Childhood Overweight and Elementary School Outcomes” (2006)
• This study examines the link between childhood overweight status and school outcomes (academic achievement, teacher reported internalizing and externalizing behavior problems, social skills, approaches to learning, school absences, and grade repetition) between kindergarten entry and end of the third grade.
• Moving from not-overweight to overweight between kindergarten entry and end of third grade was significantly associated with reductions in test scores, and teacher ratings of social-behavioral outcomes and learning among girls.
• Boys who became overweight had significantly fewer externalizing behavioral problems, but more absences from school compared to boys who remained normal weight.
• Implications of this study suggest a change in overweigh status during the first 4 years in school is a significant risk factor for adverse school outcomes among girls, but not boys.
Datar, Ashlesha. and Sturm, Roland. “Childhood Overweight and Elementary School Outcomes.” International Journal of Obesity. 30 (2006):1449-1460.
“Physical Activity and Student Performance at School” (2005)
• This article reviews research on the association between physical activity among school-aged children and academic outcomes.
• Literature suggests that there may be short-term improvements, but long-term improvements of academic achievement as a result of physical activity are not well substantiated.
• The relationship between academic achievement and physical activity requires further research.
Tara, Howard. “Physical Activity and Student Performance at School.” Journal of School Health. 75.6 (2005): 214-218.
“Social, Educational, and Psychological Correlates of Weight Status in Adolescents” (2001)
• This research study examines the social, educational, and psychological correlates of weight status in an adolescent population of 4,742 male and 5,201 female public school students in the 7th, 9th, and 11th grades.
• Results among obese boys reveal:
o 21.8% report being held back or having to repeat a grade
o 33% expect not to finish college
• Results among obese girls reveal:
o 16.3% report being held back or having to repeat a grade
o 12% consider themselves below average students
o 35% expect not to finish college
• This study reports associations between weight status and social relationships, school experiences, psychological well-being, and some future aspirations.
Faulkner, Nicole H., Neumark-Sztainer, Dianne, Story, Mary, Jeffery W., Robert, Beuhring, Trish and Resnick, Michael D. “Social, Educational, and Psychological Correlates of Weight Status in Adolescents.” Obesity Research. 9 (2001):32-42.
“Curricular Physical Activity and Academic Performance” (1997)
• This article reviews research about involvement in a regular physical activity program and academic performance with a focus on associated changes of cognitive or psychomotor function.
• Available data suggest that the rate of academic learning per unit of class time is enhanced in physically active students.
• Findings also emphasize the importance of developing positive health habits at an early stage in a child’s development.
Shephard, Roy J. “Curricular Physical Activity and Academic Performance.” Pediatric Exercise Science. 9 (1997):113-126.
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