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Physical fitness and academic performance in youth: A systematic review
Author(s) -
Santana C. C. A.,
Azevedo L. B.,
Cattuzzo M. T.,
Hill J. O.,
Andrade L. P.,
Prado W. L.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
scandinavian journal of medicine and science in sports
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.575
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1600-0838
pISSN - 0905-7188
DOI - 10.1111/sms.12773
Subject(s) - cardiorespiratory fitness , strengthening the reporting of observational studies in epidemiology , observational study , association (psychology) , medicine , medline , epidemiology , odds ratio , physical fitness , cross sectional study , cluster (spacecraft) , longitudinal study , gerontology , psychology , physical therapy , pathology , biology , biochemistry , computer science , psychotherapist , programming language
Physical fitness ( PF ) is a construct of health‐ and skill‐related attributes which have been associated with academic performance ( AP ) in youth. This study aimed to review the scientific evidence on the association among components of PF and AP in children and adolescents. A systematic review of articles using databases PubMed/Medline, ERIC , LILACS , Sci ELO , and Web of Science was undertaken. Cross‐sectional and longitudinal studies examining the association between at least one component of PF and AP in children and adolescents, published between 1990 and June 2016, were included. Independent extraction of articles was carried out by the two authors using predefined data fields. From a total of 45 studies included, 25 report a positive association between components of PF with AP and 20 describe a single association between cardiorespiratory fitness ( CRF ) and AP . According to the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology guidelines: 12 were classified as low, 32 as medium risk, and 1 as high risk of bias. Thirty‐one studies reported a positive association between AP and CRF , six studies with muscular strength, three studies with flexibility, and seven studies reported a positive association between clustered of PF components and AP . The magnitude of the associations is weak to moderate (β = 0.10–0.42 and odds = 1.01–4.14). There is strong evidence for a positive association between CRF and cluster of PF with AP in cross‐sectional studies; and evidence from longitudinal studies for a positive association between cluster of PF and AP ; the relationship between muscular strength and flexibility with AP remains uncertain.