Abstract
BackgroundPrevious studies have already reported associations of media consumption and/or physical activity with school achievement. However, longitudinal studies investigating independent effects of physical activity and media consumption on school performance are sparse. The present study fills this research gap and, furthermore, assesses relationships of the type of secondary school with media consumption and physical activity.MethodsThe consumption of screen-based media (TV/video, game console, PC/internet, and mobile phone) and leisure physical activity (organized and non-organized) of 10 – to 17-year old adolescents participating in the LIFE Child study in Germany were related to their school grades in two major school subjects (Mathematics and German) and in Physical Education. In addition to a cross-sectional analysis at baseline (N = 850), a longitudinal analysis (N = 512) investigated the independent effects of these activities on the school grades achieved 12 months later. All associations were adjusted for age, gender, socio-economic status, year of data assessment, body-mass-index, and school grades at baseline. A further analysis investigated differences in the consumption of screen-based media and physical activity as a function of the type of secondary school (highest vs. lower secondary school).ResultsAdolescents of lower secondary schools reported a significantly higher consumption of TV/video and game consoles than adolescents attending the highest secondary school. Independently of the type of school, a better school performance in Mathematics was predicted by a lower consumption of computers/internet, and a better performance in Physical Education was predicted by a lower consumption of TV/video and a higher frequency of non-organized physical activity. However, the association between non-organized physical activity and subsequent grades in Physical Education was significant in girls only.ConclusionThe present results suggest that media consumption has a negative effect on school achievement, whereas physical activity has a positive effect, which, however, is restricted to the subject Physical Education. Future studies might explore the relationship between media consumption and school career, for example, the choice or change of the secondary school type, in more detail.Trial registrationLIFE Child study: ClinicalTrials.gov, clinical trial number NCT02550236
Highlights
Previous studies have already reported associations of media consumption and/or physical activity with school achievement
Information is provided for adolescents attending the highest vs. lower secondary schools separately
With respect to physical activity, the present study showed, as expected, significant associations between the amount of time adolescents spent in physical activity and school grades in Physical Education
Summary
Previous studies have already reported associations of media consumption and/or physical activity with school achievement. The present study fills this research gap and, assesses relationships of the type of secondary school with media consumption and physical activity. Since one’s school achievement influences the following professional education and career, it has a strong impact on the future of children and adolescents. One indicator of school achievement are school grades or test scores. They have an impact on the choice of post-secondary education (e.g., different courses of studies might require different school grades) and professional opportunities. Different types of school differ in their level of education and in the graduation that can be achieved. Differences in school education and career opportunities become already apparent early in a child’s development
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