The objective of this study was to examine the association of scholastic performance with physical activity and fitness of children. To do so, school ratings of scholastic ability on a five-point scale for a nationally representative sample of 7,961 Australian schoolchildren aged 7-15 years were compared with physical activity and fitness measurements. Consistently across age and sex groups, the ratings were significantly correlated with questionnaire measures of physical activity and with performance on the 1.6-kilometer run, sit-ups and push-ups challenges, 50-meter sprint, and standing long jump. There were no significant associations for physical work capacity at a heart rate of 170 (PWC 170). The results are concordant with the hypothesis that physical activity enhances academic performance, but the cross-sectional nature of the observations limits causal inference, and the disparity for PWC 170 gives reason to question whether the associations were due to measurement bias or residual confounding.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Research Division:	Medical and Health Sciences
Research Group:	Public Health and Health Services
Research Field:	Epidemiology
Objective Division:	Health
Objective Group:	Specific Population Health (excl. Indigenous Health)
Objective Field:	Child Health
UTAS Author:	Dwyer, T (Professor Terry Dwyer)
UTAS Author:	Blizzard, CL (Professor Leigh Blizzard)
UTAS Author:	Dean, K (Miss Kimberlie Dean)
ID Code:	22739
Year Published:	2001
Web of Science® Times Cited:	185
Deposited By:	Menzies Centre
Deposited On:	2001-08-01
Last Modified:	2011-08-03
Downloads:	0