Abstract
ObjectiveTo determine to what extent physical fitness indicators and/or moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) may account for final mathematics academic performance (APmath) awarded at the end of primary school.MethodsSchool-aged youth were sampled in a repeated-measures, longitudinal design in Grade 6 (∼11 years), and again in Grade 9 (∼14 years). The youth (N = 231, 111 girls) completed a fitness test battery consisting of: flamingo balance test, standing long jump, backward obstacle course, plate tapping, sit ups, sit and reach, handgrip, and 20-m shuttle run. APmath scores were obtained for all children at the end of Grade 5, end of Grade 8, and end of Grade 9 (their final year of primary school). In a sub-sample of Grade 6 youth (N = 50, 29 girls), MVPA was measured objectively via SenseWear Pro Armbands (MVPAOB) for seven consecutive days, with measurements repeated in Grade 9.ResultsMath scores decreased from Grade 6 to 9 for both boys and girls (95%CI: −0.89 to −0.53, p < 0.001). MVPAOB was reduced by ∼45.7 min (−33%) from Grade 6 to 9 (p < 0.01). Significant main and interaction effects are noted for each fitness indicator (p < 0.05). A backward stepwise multiple regression analysis determined significant shared variance in final APmath grade to the change scores from Grade 6 to Grade 9 in: ΔAPmath, Δbackward obstacle course, Δsit and reach, and Δsit-ups [R2 = 0.494, F(4,180) = 43.67, p < 0.0001]. A second regression was performed only for the youth who completed MVPAOB measurements. In this sub-sample, MVPAOB did not significantly contribute to the model.ConclusionLongitudinal changes in youth fitness and their delta change in APmath score accounted for 49.4% of the variance in the final math grade awarded at the end of Grade 9. Aerobic power, upper body strength, and muscular endurance share more common variance to final math grade in boys, whereas whole-body coordination was the more relevant index in girls; this finding suggests that future research exploring the relationship of AP and PF should not be limited to cardiorespiratory fitness, instead encompassing muscular and neuro-muscular components of PF.
Highlights
Physical activity (PA) is a dynamic state of being (Reid et al, 2019) which can be defined as any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles resulting in energy expenditure (Caspersen et al, 1985) greater than that which exceeds hibernation (Fletcher et al, 1996)
Decreases are evident for academic performance (AP) in mathematics in both girls and boys during this timeframe, likely reflecting structural issues present within the Slovenian primary education system, rather than other external or physical fitness factors alone
In contrast to prevailing existing evidence which link AP with cardiorespiratory fitness lower math grades in our study are moderately associated with indicators of muscular and neuro-muscular fitness, including changes in whole-body coordination, flexibility, and muscular endurance for the entire sample
Summary
Physical activity (PA) is a dynamic state of being (Reid et al, 2019) which can be defined as any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles resulting in energy expenditure (Caspersen et al, 1985) greater than that which exceeds hibernation (Fletcher et al, 1996). Evidence regarding the association between PA and any broader aspect(s) of AP have ( far) remained ambiguous, with some researchers finding negative, or null effects in this relationship (Coe et al, 2006; Beck et al, 2016; Riley et al, 2016). These inconsistent findings may be due to a difficulty in precisely assessing both the overall amount, and intensity of, PA, which children and adolescents regularly undertake (Monyeki et al, 2018; Sember et al, 2020a)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
