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Daily School Physical Activity Improves Academic Performance.

ABSTRACT: Physical activity (PA) may improve brain development, cognition, concentration and academic performance. In this prospective controlled intervention study, we increased the level of PA in 338 children aged 6-8 years at study start, from the Swedish standard of 60 min per week to 200 min per week (40 min daily). The intervention continued in all nine compulsory school years until the students graduated between 2007-2012. All other 689,881 Swedish children who graduated the same years were included as a control group. We registered at graduation eligibility rate for upper secondary school and the final grade score (from 0 to 320 grade points). We also registered the same end points in the 295 students in the index school and in all other 471,926 Swedish students who graduated in 2003-2006, that is, those who graduated before the intervention study started. Before the intervention, academic performance was similar among children in the index school as for all other Swedish boys and girls. With the intervention, the eligibility rate increased for boys in the index school by 7.3 percentage points and the mean grade scores by 13.3 points. This should be compared with a decrease of 0.8 percentage points in eligibility rate and an increase by 2.7 points in grade score in other Swedish boys. No changes were seen for intervention girls, neither in eligibility rates or grade scores. By introducing daily school-based PA in compulsory school, more boys would probably reach the eligibility rate for higher education.

SUBMITTER: Fritz J

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7353619 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Daily School Physical Activity Improves Academic Performance.

Fritz Jesper J Cöster Marcus E ME Rosengren Björn E BE Karlsson Caroline C Karlsson Magnus K MK

Sports (Basel, Switzerland) 20200604 6

Physical activity (PA) may improve brain development, cognition, concentration and academic performance. In this prospective controlled intervention study, we increased the level of PA in 338 children aged 6-8 years at study start, from the Swedish standard of 60 min per week to 200 min per week (40 min daily). The intervention continued in all nine compulsory school years until the students graduated between 2007-2012. All other 689,881 Swedish children who graduated the same years were include ...[more]

PMID: 32512691

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Project description:BACKGROUND:Current guidelines suggest too little sleep, too little physical activity, and too much sedentary time are associated with poor health outcomes. These behaviours may also influence academic performance in school children. The primary purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between sleep, physical activity, or sedentary behaviours and academic performance in a school with a well-developed and integrated technology use and well-being program. METHODS:This was a cross-sectional survey of students (n?=?934, Grades 5-12) in an Australian school with a bring-your-own device (tablet or laptop computer) policy. Students reported sleep, physical activity, and sedentary (screen and non-screen) behaviours. Academic performance was obtained from school records. Linear regressions were used to test the association between behaviours and academic performance outcomes. RESULTS:Seventy-four percent of students met sleep guidelines (9 to 11?h for children 5-13?years and 8 to 10?h for 14-17?year olds), 21% met physical activity guidelines (60?min of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity every day), and 15% met screen time guidelines (no more than 2?h recreational screen time per day); only 2% met all three. There were no associations between meeting sleep guidelines and academic performance; however later weekend bedtimes were associated with poorer academic performance (-?3.4 points on the Average Academic Index, 95%CI: -?5.0, -?1.7, p?<?.001). There were no associations between meeting physical activity guidelines and academic performance. Meeting screen guidelines was associated with higher Average Academic Index (5.8, 95%CI: 3.6, 8.0, p?<?.001), Maths 7.9, 95%CI: 4.1, 11.6, p?<?.001) and English scores (3.8, 95%CI: 1.8, 5.8, p?<?.001) and higher time in sedentary behaviours was associated with poorer academic performance, including total sedentary behaviours in hrs/day (5.8 points on Average Academic Index, 95%CI: 3.6, 8.0, p?<?.001. Meeting at least two of the three behaviour guidelines was associated with better academic performance. CONCLUSIONS:Sleep and sedentary behaviours were linked to academic performance. School communities should emphasize comprehensive wellness strategies to address multiple behaviours to maximize student health and academic success.

Project description:BackgroundPrevious research has suggested that school-based physical activity (PA) interventions may have a positive impact on academic performance. However, existing literature on school-based interventions encompasses various forms of PA, spanning from vigorous intensity PA outside the academic classes to light intensity PA and movement integrated into academic learning tasks, and results on academic performance are inconclusive. ACTIVE SCHOOL will implement two different PA interventions for one school year and assess the effects on the pupils' academic performance, with math performance as the primary outcome.Methods/designThe ACTIVE SCHOOL project consists of two phases: 1) Development phase and 2) Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT). In phase one, two interventions were developed in collaboration with school staff. The two interventions were tested in an 8-weeks feasibility study. In phase two, a RCT-study with three arms will be conducted in 9-10-year-old children for one school year. The RCT-study will be carried out in two intervention rounds during the school years 2023/2024 and 2024/2025. Schools will be randomized to one of two interventions or control;1) Run, Jump & Fun intervention (4 × 30 min/week of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity; 2) Move & Learn intervention (4 × 30 min/week focusing on embodied learning in math and Danish lessons); or 3) a control condition, consisting of normal teaching practices. Outcome measures include academic performance, PA level, cognitive functions, cardiorespiratory fitness, anthropometry, well-being and school motivation (collected before, during and after the intervention period). A process evaluation will be conducted to assess implementation.DiscussionThe ACTIVE SCHOOL study will expand knowledge regarding the impact of PA on academic performance. The study will have the potential to significantly contribute to future research, as well as the scientific and educational debate on the best way to implement PA to support education and learning.Trial registrationThe study was registered on the 25th of October 2022 in ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT05602948.

Project description:BackgroundSchool-based physical activity interventions evaluating the effect on academic performance usually includes children. We aimed to investigate the effect of a nine-month, school-based physical activity intervention titled School in Motion (ScIM) on academic performance in adolescents.MethodsThirty secondary schools in Norway were cluster-randomized into three groups: the Physically active learning (PAL) group (n = 10), the Don't worry - Be Happy (DWBH) group (n = 10) or control (n = 10). Target dose in both intervention groups was 120 min/week of additional PA during school hours. Parental consent was obtained from 2084 adolescent students (76%). Standardized national tests in reading and numeracy was conducted at baseline and at the end of the intervention. We used linear mixed model to test intervention effects. We found significant intervention effects in numeracy and reading among students in both interventions when compared with controls.ResultsThe mean difference in change in numeracy was 1.7 (95% CI: 0.9 to 2.5; Cohen's d = 0.12) and 2.0 (95% CI: 1.4 to 2.7; Cohen's d = 0.23) points in favour of students in the PAL and DWBH intervention, respectively. Similar results were found for reading, where the mean difference in change was 0.9 (95% CI 0.2 to 1.6; Cohen's d = 0.06) and 1.1 (95% CI 0.3 to 1.9; Cohen's d = 0.18) points in favour of students in the PAL and DWBH intervention, respectively. When conducting intention to treat analysis with imputed data the estimates were attenuated and some no longer significant.ConclusionThe ScIM study demonstrates that two different school-based PA interventions providing approximately 120 min of additional PA weekly over nine months, significantly improved numeracy and reading performance in 14-year old students compared with controls. However, the results should be interpreted with caution as the effect sizes reported were very small or small and the estimates were attenuated when conducting intention to treat analysis. Despite this, our results are still positive and suggest that PA interventions are viable models to increase academic performance among adolescents.Trial registrationRetrospectively registered (25/01/2019): NCT03817047 .

Project description:BackgroundIt is recommended that school-aged children accrue 30 minutes of daily moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) in school. Current literature is inconclusive about the long-term associations between school-based physical activity and academic achievement. In this study, we use a large sample and longitudinal design to rigorously evaluate whether school-day MVPA is associated with academic achievement.MethodsIn a diverse suburban public school district, 4936 Grade 4 students were recruited in 40 elementary schools. Students wore accelerometers to measure school-day MVPA for 15 days across three semesters. Academic performance data was collected across Grade 3 fall to Grade 5 spring, including teacher-assigned grades and standardized test scores. Multilevel modeling was conducted controlling for student demographics and school characteristics.ResultsCross-sectional analyses found small negative associations in Grade 4. Grade 4 full-year mean daily school-day MVPA had β = --0.066, β = --0.063, β = --0.066, and β = --0.058 associations (p < 0.001) with Grade 4 math, reading, spelling, and writing grades respectively, and Grade 4 full-year mean daily school-day MVPA had β = --0.206 and β = --0.283 (p < 0.001) associations with Grade 4 math and English Language Arts (ELA) standardized test scores respectively out of approximately 500 points. Longitudinal analyses found no significant associations between Grade 4 full-year mean daily school-day MVPA and Grade 5 Fall course grades. Results also indicated small negative associations for students attaining 30+ minutes of daily school-day MVPA compared to those attaining less than 15 minutes, but only in Grade 4 Fall cross-sectional analyses where teacher-assigned reading, spelling, and writing grades were - 1.666, - 1.638, and - 1.993 points lower respectively (p < 0.001).ConclusionThe cross-sectional findings, while statistically significant in a negative direction, have a negligible association when translated practically. For example, even if students attained twice the recommended amount of school-day MVPA - which would constitute an approximately 300% increase from current levels - results suggest that grades would only decrease by 2 points on a 100-point scale. Furthermore, longitudinal analyses suggest school-day MVPA does not have a predictive association with course grades or standardized test scores. Findings suggest school-based MVPA implemented in accordance with recommendations does not meaningfully detract from academic progress.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov , NCT03765047. Registered 05 December 2018 - Retrospectively registered, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03765047.

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Daily School Physical Activity Improves Academic Performance.

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Daily School Physical Activity Improves Academic Performance.

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