Original ArticleIndependent and Combined Influence of the Components of Physical Fitness on Academic Performance in Youth
Section snippets
Methods
Participants selected for the present study were enrolled in the UP & DOWN Study, a 3-year longitudinal study designed to assess the impact over time of physical activity and sedentary behaviors on health indicators, as well as to identify the psychoenvironmental and genetic determinants of physical activity, in a cohort of Spanish children and adolescents. Youths were recruited from schools in Cadiz and Madrid, Spain. A total of 2225 youths aged 6-18 years participated. After missing data were
Results
Table I presents descriptive characteristics of the study sample. Overall, a higher percentage of boys than girls had mothers who achieved a university educational level (31% vs 25%; P = .001). Fitness levels were significantly higher in boys compared with girls (all P < .001). Boys had a higher WC than girls (P < .001), whereas girls had a higher BF% than boys (P < .001). Girls had higher scores than boys in Language (P < .001), GPA (P < .001), and average of Mathematics and Language (P
Discussion
The main findings of the present study were that cardiorespiratory capacity and motor ability, both independently and combined, were related to academic performance in youths independent of potential confounders, including fatness. In contrast, muscular strength was not associated with academic performance independent of the other 2 physical fitness components. Our findings contribute to the current knowledge by suggesting that the interdependent relationships of cardiorespiratory capacity and
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The UP & DOWN Study was supported by the National Plan for Research, Development, and Innovation MICINN (DEP 2010-21662-C04-00). The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
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A list of members of the UP & DOWN Study Group is available at www.jpeds.com (Appendix).