• April 25, 2024

Exercising with a moderate to vigorous intensity, could regularly also improve the academic performance of students, according to a study published in the journal British Journal of Sports Medicine .

The more intense the exercise, the more impact it has on results in English, mathematics and science. However, they could not explain the precise causes underlying the connection of physical activity and academic performance.

Improves cognitive function and self-esteem

"Several suggestions have been made as to why this link exists: for example, physical activity could increase the time spent in classroom tasks, or perhaps have an impact on self-esteem," the study researcher said. Josephine Booth, professor at the University of Dundee , in Scotland.

Perhaps there is a biological explanation, he said, as other researchers found that low levels of activity can adversely affect brain structure and function, as well as students' school performance.

Booth could not say with certainty whether the general motivation explains the link, that is, that high-performing children do both exercise and academic tasks well. "In this study we could not adjust for personality," he said.

Exercise, vital in educational policy

After evaluating nearly 5,000 children, Booth and his team measured the duration and intensity of the students' daily exercise over a period of three to seven days, when they were eleven years old. The students used a device on the belt to measure the activity.

At age 11, children of both sexes did not reach the recommended 60 minutes of daily exercise. The boys did, on average, 29 minutes, and the girls, 18 minutes.

Those who did the most exercise, performed better in national academic exams. At age 11, children who did the most exercise had a better performance in all three subjects. The activity particularly helped the performance of girls in science. The bond was held at 13, 15 and 16 years of age.

The researchers took into account other factors that could affect school performance, such as socioeconomic status, birth weight, mother's age at birth and smoking during pregnancy, but the link remained.

According to Booth, the study's author, the findings have important implications for educational policy, suggesting that the school should value physical activity as a way to improve classroom performance.

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