| Associations of Physical Fitness and Academic Performance Among Schoolchildren(*). | |
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MedLine Citation:
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PMID: 22070504 Owner: NLM Status: Publisher |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
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BACKGROUND: Public schools provide opportunities for physical activity and fitness surveillance, but are evaluated and funded based on students' academic performance, not their physical fitness. Empirical research evaluating the connections between fitness and academic performance is needed to justify curriculum allocations to physical activity programs. METHODS: Analyses were based on a convenience sample of 254,743 individually matched standardized academic (TAKS™) and fitness (FITNESSGRAM(®) ) test records of students, grades 3-11, collected by 13 Texas school districts. We categorized fitness results in quintiles by age and gender and used mixed effects regression models to compare the academic performance of the top and bottom fitness groups for each test. RESULTS: All fitness variables except body mass index (BMI) showed significant, positive associations with academic performance after adjustment for socio-demographic covariates, with standardized mean difference effect sizes ranging from .07 to .34. Cardiovascular fitness showed the largest interquintile difference in TAKS score (32-75 points), followed by curl-ups. Additional adjustment for BMI and curl-ups showed dose-response associations between cardiovascular fitness and academic scores (p < .001 for both genders and outcomes). Analysis of BMI demonstrated limited, nonlinear association with academic performance after socio-demographic and fitness adjustments. CONCLUSIONS: Fitness was strongly and significantly related to academic performance. Cardiovascular fitness showed a dose-response association with academic performance independent of other socio-demographic and fitness variables. The association appears to peak in late middle to early high school. We recommend that policymakers consider physical education (PE) mandates in middle high school, school administrators consider increasing PE time, and PE practitioners emphasize cardiovascular fitness. |
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Authors:
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Duncan P Van Dusen; Steven H Kelder; Harold W Kohl; Nalini Ranjit; Cheryl L Perry |
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Publication Detail:
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Type: JOURNAL ARTICLE |
Journal Detail:
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Title: The Journal of school health Volume: 81 ISSN: 1746-1561 ISO Abbreviation: - Publication Date: 2011 Dec |
Date Detail:
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Created Date: 2011-11-10 Completed Date: - Revised Date: - |
Medline Journal Info:
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Nlm Unique ID: 0376370 Medline TA: J Sch Health Country: - |
Other Details:
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Languages: ENG Pagination: 733-740 Citation Subset: - |
Copyright Information:
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© 2011, American School Health Association. |
Affiliation:
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(duncan.vandusen@gmail.com), Michael & Susan Dell Center for Advancement of Healthy Living, The University of Texas School of Public Health, Austin Regional Campus, 313 East 12th Street, Suite 220, Austin, TX 78701. Professor, (steven.h.kelder@uth.tmc.edu), Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living, The University of Texas School of Public Health, Austin Regional Campus, 1616 Guadalupe, Suite 6.300, Austin, TX 78701. Professor, (harold.w.kohl@uth.tmc.edu), Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living, The University of Texas School of Public Health, Austin Regional Campus, 1616 Guadalupe, Suite 6.300, Austin, TX 78701. Associate Professor, (nalini.ranjit@uth.tmc.edu), Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living, The University of Texas School of Public Health, Austin Regional Campus, 1616 Guadalupe, Suite 6.300, Austin, TX 78701. Professor, (cheryl.l.perry@uth.tmc.edu), Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living, The University of Texas School of Public Health, Austin Regional Campus, 1616 Guadalupe, Suite 6.300, Austin, TX 78701. |
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