Abstract
BACKGROUND: This study examined the association between fitness change and subsequent academic performance in Taiwanese schoolchildren from 7th grade to 9th grade. METHODS: The 7th graders from 1 junior high school district participated in this study (N=669). Academic performance was extracted from school records at the end of each grade. Cardiovascular (CV) fitness, sit-and-reach flexibility, bent-leg curl-ups, and height and weight for calculating body mass index (BMI) were assessed at the start of each grade. RESULTS: The results showed that improvement in CV fitness, but not muscular endurance or flexibility, is significantly related to greater academic performance. A weak and nonsignificant academic-BMI relationship was seen. CONCLUSION: CV fitness exhibits stronger longitudinal associations with academic performance than other forms of fitness or BMI for adolescents.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 631-638 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Journal of School Health |
Volume | 83 |
Issue number | 9 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2013 Sep |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Education
- Philosophy
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health