School Socioeconomic Status Research Articles

“Socioeconomic inequalities in children's accessibility to food retailing: Examining the roles of mobility and time”

Childhood overweight and obesity rates in Canada are at concerning levels, more apparently so for individuals of lower socioeconomic status (SES). Accessibility to food establishments likely influences patterns of food consumption, a contributor to body weight. Previous work has found that households living in lower income neighbourhoods tend to have greater geographical accessibility to unhealthy food establishments and lower accessibility to healthy food stores. This study contributes to the literature on neighbourhood inequalities in accessibility to healthy foods by explicitly focusing on children, an understudied population, and by incorporating mobility and time into metrics of accessibility. Accessibility to both healthy and unhealthy food retailing is measured within children's activity spaces using Road Network and Activity Location Buffering methods. Weekday vs. weekend accessibility to food establishments is then compared. The results suggest that children attending lower SES schools had almost two times the density of fast food establishments and marginally higher supermarket densities in their activity spaces. Children attending higher SES schools also had much larger activity spaces. All children had higher supermarket densities during weekdays than on weekend days.

Relations between teachers' achievement, over- and underestimation, and students' beliefs for Māori and Pākehā students

In the New Zealand context, the indigenous Māori group achieve below their Pākehā (European) peers in most academic subjects. The gap begins early in elementary school and is evident throughout schooling. Historically, this has been of concern to researchers, educators, and policy makers because Māori are disadvantaged socially and economically. Teacher expectations are known to contribute to student achievement and, similarly, some student beliefs have been associated with achievement. The current study explored student beliefs and teacher expectations in relation to Māori (n = 127) and Pākehā (n = 523) middle school students, aged 10–14 years. Teachers were more likely to underestimate Māori and overestimate Pākehā students although this difference disappeared when school socioeconomic status was controlled. Māori students more strongly endorsed performance goals than Pākehā. Greater achievement gains over one year were found in schools in high socioeconomic areas. For Māori students, beginning-of-year achievement, school socioeconomic status, holding a performance orientation, and having low levels of peer support predicted their gains whereas for Pākehā students, only prior achievement, school socioeconomic status and being male were associated with higher end-of-year achievement. The findings are discussed in relation to the implications for Māori and Pākehā students and their schooling. The inclusion of a culturally-based intervention which focuses on improving student–teacher relationships, raising teacher efficacy for teaching Māori, and including culturally appropriate teaching methods is recommended, particularly for teachers teaching in low socioeconomic schools. Such interventions may help to increase Māori achievement and decrease the ethnic achievement gap.

School socio-economic status and student socio-academic achievement goals in upper secondary contexts

In recent years motivational researchers have spent considerable time examining race/ethnicity and gender differences in academic and social achievement goals, but little time examining the influence of socioeconomic status (SES). This lack of attention is surprising given that both student motivation and SES have been shown to predict academic attainment. This study surveyed the academic and social achievement goal orientations of 16–17 year old students (n = 130) attending two schools with markedly different socioeconomic profiles. Analyses showed significant differences between the schools on the academic achievement goal scales, with students at the low SES school less likely to endorse adaptive combinations of mastery and performance goals than their high SES counterparts. Students who did not expect to finish senior high school also endorsed social goals that may manifest as disruptive behaviours in the classroom. The findings suggest that SES may influence the adoption of academic achievement goals but not necessarily social achievement goals. Implications for theory and research are discussed.

Understanding student achievement in mathematics and science: The case of Trinidad and Tobago

This study aims to disentangle the complex relationships among student attributes, school context, and student performance in mathematics and science in Trinidad and Tobago, using the PISA 2009 data. Our findings reveal that schools account for a substantial amount of variation in students’ mathematics and science performances. School socioeconomic status (SES) had a significant effect on student achievement. Additionally, school SES had the single largest effect on mathematics and science achievement among the sample of students of all the explanatory variables. Students who never repeated primary school and who came from two-parent homes outperformed their counterparts on both subjects. Interestingly, females outscored males in science, but there was no significant gender difference in mathematics. These findings suggest the important role of school context in understanding student performance in Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean.

When One Door Closes: The Impact of the Hagwon Curfew on the Consumption of Private Tutoring in the Republic of Korea

The Korean government has struggled against the proliferation of private tutoring for more than four decades. In 2006, state education authorities imposed a restriction on operating hours of hagwon (private tutoring academies or cram schools) in an attempt at reducing the economic and time resources spent on private tutoring. Since then, some provincial authorities have modified the curfew on hagwon. We take advantage of these policy shifts to identify average treatment effects taking a difference-in-differences approach. Our findings suggest that enforcing the curfew did not generate a significant reduction in the hours and resources spent on private tutoring, our results being heterogeneous by school level and socioeconomic status. Demand for private tutoring seems to be especially inelastic for high school students, who increased their consumption of alternative forms of private tutoring. As the consumption of private tutoring is positively correlated with academic performance and socioeconomic status, the curfew may have a negative effect on the equality of educational opportunities.

Can preschool socioeconomic composition moderate relationships between family environment and Chinese children's early academic and social outcomes?

Research on primary and secondary school composition has shown that a school's socioeconomic status, as an aggregated and stratified index, has a contextual effect on children's school performance. For Chinese children, preschool is their first formal schooling experience. Preschools are segregated by the enrolled children's socioeconomic status. However, no studies have yet examined the role of preschool socioeconomic status in young Chinese children.Taking family socioeconomic status as the structure index and the home learning environment and authoritative parenting as the process indexes, the current study aimed to examine how preschool socioeconomic status operates independently and moderates the family environment to determine Chinese children's early academic and social development. Data were obtained from 826 children aged 36–74months from 29 urban preschools in Beijing. Hierarchical linear modeling analyses showed that preschool socioeconomic status significantly directly predicted children's academic skills but not their social skills. Participation in higher socioeconomic status preschools appeared to compensate for the literacy skills of children from a lower family socioeconomic status, and it reinforced the positive effects of authoritative parenting on the children's social skills. These results suggest that the optimal development of young children depends on the “fit” between their family's environmental characteristics and the preschool in which they enrolled.

Concern or confidence? Adolescents' identity capital and future worry in different school contexts

This present study investigated the roles identity capital and school's socio-economic status have on adolescent worry about future education, employment, and social status. The 354 participants were 14- to 15-year-old students from affluent (56.8%) and disadvantaged (43.2%) Finnish lower secondary schools. Structural equation modelling was used to test the hypothesis that a higher level of family-related identity capital is connected to a lower level of future worry, and that this connection is mediated through intrapersonal forms of identity capital, specifically academic self-concept and general self-efficacy. Adolescent future worry was also examined across school status with an independent samples t-test. The findings suggest that, in the relatively equal societal context in Finland, adolescents are rather confident about their future education, employment, and social status regardless of the socio-economic status of the school they attend, and when their level of identity capital is high the future worry decreases further.

Reading Comprehension in Children With Specific Language Impairment: An Exploratory Study of Linguistic and Decoding Skills

El presente trabajo exploro la relacion entre habilidades linguisticas y decodificacion en ninos con trastorno especifico de lenguaje (TEL), preguntandose si la comprension lectora se asocia a las habilidades linguisticas o a la decodificacion en estos ninos. La muestra fue no probabilistica por conveniencia y estuvo compuesta por 19 estudiantes de 1o basico de 6 colegios de nivel socioeconomico medio-bajo de Santiago, Chile. Su promedio de edad fue 6 anos: 10 ninos con TEL (7 hombres) y 9 con desarrollo tipico (6 hombres). Se evaluaron habilidades linguisticas (promedio de longitud del enunciado y narracion), decodificacion y comprension lectora. Los analisis descriptivos mostraron que los ninos con TEL exhibian problemas en decodificacion y en comprension lectora. Utilizando la prueba exacta de Fisher, se encontro que los escolares con TEL y disminuida comprension lectora mostraron desempenos menores que el grupo control en comprension narrativa, produccion narrativa y promedio de longitud del enunciado. Esta relacion no se observo entre comprension lectora y decodificacion. Los resultados sugieren que las habilidades linguisticas juegan un rol central en la comprension lectora de los ninos con TEL.

The Relative Age Effect and Its Influence on Academic Performance.

Introduction and PurposeThe policy of school organisation for grouping students in the same academic year is based on date of birth. The differences in the experiences and maturation of older students involve a relatively better performance in academic settings, which is known as the relative age effect (RAE). This effect is more important the younger the student is. The goal of this study is to identify the connections of influence that RAE, socioeconomic status (SES), and type of institution have on academic performance in a school population of eighth graders.MethodsThe study is based on a population-based, representative sample of 15,234 8th graders (50.4% female; average age = 13.61 years) in the 2011 National System of Quality Assessment in Education Survey (SIMCE) from Chile. The SIMCE for global academic performance consists of 4 tests: reading, mathematics, social studies, and science. All tests consist of multiple-choice and closed questions. In addition, in order to have the information of general academic performance, an extra variable expressing the average score of each student was created. Also, the SIMCE includes additional variables for the evaluation process such as SES or type of school. Students were assigned to one of five age groups in terms of date of birth (G1, G2, G3, G4, and G5), in which students belonging to G1 are the oldest and students belonging to G5 are the youngest.ResultsThe results achieved in the structural equation modelling indicate a good global fit. Individual relationships show significant effects of the three variables observed on academic performance, although SES received the highest values. The influence of RAE took place both in the full sample and sub-samples composed according to the SES and academic performance, showing higher values for students with lower scores. Although the influence of RAE decreases when SES is controlled, its effect is still significant and contributes to additionally explain the performance.ConclusionsThe RAE remains, even with residual values, an explanatory factor in academic performance even in eighth graders. Since the RAE decreases as the influence of schooling increases, the potential adverse effects for some students would be placed in previous and initial moments of formal schooling. These findings may be useful into taking steps towards flexibilisation on age of entry in compulsory schooling. Moreover, the need to implement early, comprehensive evaluation systems which include aspects related to neurodevelopment in order to provide maximum information to parents and educators is also drawn.

Associations of Neighborhood and School Socioeconomic and Social Contexts With Body Mass Index Among Urban Preadolescent Students.

We examined independent and synergistic effects of school and neighborhood environments on preadolescent body mass index (BMI) to determine why obesity rates nearly double during preadolescence. Physical measures and health surveys from fifth and sixth graders in 12 randomly selected schools in New Haven, Connecticut, in 2009 were matched to student sociodemographics and school- and residential census tract-level data, for a total of 811 urban preadolescents. Key independent variables included school connectedness, neighborhood social ties, and school and neighborhood socioeconomic status. We estimated cross-classified random-effects hierarchical linear models to examine associations between key school and neighborhood characteristics with student BMI. Greater average connectedness felt by students to their school was significantly associated with lower BMI. This association was stronger among students living in neighborhoods with higher concentrations of affluent neighbors. How schools engage and support students may affect obesity rates preferentially in higher-income neighborhoods. Further research should explore the associations between multiple environments to which children are exposed and obesity-related behaviors and outcomes. This understanding of the multiple social-spatial contexts that children occupy has potential to inform comprehensive and sustainable child obesity prevention efforts.

Factors associated with the implementation of the Familias Unidas intervention in a type 3 translational trial.

This study highlights how Familias Unidas, a Hispanic-specific, evidence-based, family centered preventive intervention, progressed from intervention development (type 1 translation; T1) through rigorous evaluation (T2) and examines the role of intervention fidelity-adherence and competence-in a T3 trial. Effects of participant, provider, and organizational variables on direct (observational) and indirect (self-reported) fidelity were examined as were effects of fidelity. Two structural equation models were estimated using data from 367 Hispanic parent-adolescent dyads randomized to Familias Unidas. Facilitator perceptions of parental involvement in schools, school performance grade, and school socioeconomic status predicted indirect adherence ratings, which were positively related to adolescent substance use. Facilitator openness to evidence-based practices was associated with indirect competence ratings, school performance grade and size were associated with direct competence ratings, and direct competence ratings were negatively associated with substance use. Findings highlight unique contributions of direct and indirect fidelity ratings in the implementation of Familias Unidas.

The associations of BMI trajectory and excessive weight gain with demographic and socio-economic factors: the Adolescent Nutritional Assessment Longitudinal Study cohort

Assessing changes in adolescents' BMI over brief periods could contribute to detection of acute changes in weight status and prevention of overweight. The objective of this study was to analyse the BMI trajectory and the excessive weight gain of Brazilian adolescents over 3 years and the association with demographic and socio-economic factors. Data regarding the BMI of 1026 students aged between 13 and 19 years were analysed over 3 consecutive years (2010, 2011 and 2012) from the Adolescent Nutritional Assessment Longitudinal Study. Linear mixed effects models were used to assess the BMI trajectory according to the type of school attended (public or private), skin colour, socio-economic status and level of maternal schooling by sex. Associations between excessive weight gain and socio-economic variables were identified by calculation of OR. Boys attending private schools (β coefficient: 0·008; P=0·01), those with white skin (β coefficient: 0·007; P=0·04) and those whose mothers had >8 years of schooling (β coefficient: 0·009; P=0·02) experienced greater BMI increase than boys and girls in other groups. Boys in private schools also presented higher excessive weight gain compared with boys attending public schools (P=0·03). Boys attending private schools experienced greater BMI increase and excessive weight gain, indicating the need to develop specific policies for the prevention and reduction of overweight in this population.

Mental Health in Adolescents with Allergic Diseases-Using Data from the 2014 Korean Youth's Risk Behavior Web-based Study

The purpose of the study was to investigate mental health and mental health-related factors of adolescents with allergic diseases. Methods: The subjects were 72,060 middle and high school students, the data of whom were extracted from the 2014 Korean Youth` Risk Behavior Web-based Survey. Allergic diseases included asthma, allergic rhinitis and eczema. Mental health was measured by indicators such as perceived stress, depression, and suicidal ideation. To compare the mental health of adolescents who have allergic diseases with that of those who don`t, the study used and calculated odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). In addition, the study used and multiple logistic regression, calculating OR and 95% CI, to analyze the association between mental health and allergic diseases and other variables. Results: Of 72,060 adolescents who participated in the study, 51.6% had allergic diseases(asthma 9.2%, allergic rhinitis 32.2%, eczema 23.9%). And 37.1% reported perceived stress, 26.6% depression, and 13.1% suicidal ideation. The adolescents with allergic diseases, compared to the adolescents without allergic diseases, were 1.26 times, 1.28 times, and 1.29 times more likely to experience perceived stress, depression, and suicidal ideation, respectively. The mental health-related factors of adolescents with allergic diseases were school type, sex, socioeconomic status, and academic performance. Conclusion: The adolescents with allergic diseases had poorer mental health than the adolescents without the diseases. Further studies should be done to verify this. And based on the study`s findings, school-based intervention programs for mental health of adolescents with allergic diseases need to be developed.

School-level economic disadvantage and obesity in middle school children in central Texas, USA: a cross-sectional study.

BackgroundAlthough children of lower socio-economic status (SES) in the United States have generally been found to be at greater risk for obesity, the SES-obesity association varies when stratified by racial/ethnic groups-with no consistent association found for African American and Hispanic children. Research on contextual and setting-related factors may provide further insights into ethnic and SES disparities in obesity. We examined whether obesity levels among central Texas 8th grade students (n=2682) vary by school-level economic disadvantage across individual-level family SES and racial/ethnicity groups. As a secondary aim, we compared the association of school-level economic disadvantage and obesity by language spoken with parents (English or Spanish) among Hispanic students.MethodsMultilevel regression models stratified by family SES and ethnicity were run using cross-sectional baseline data from five school districts participating in the Central Texas CATCH Middle School project. For family SES, independent multi-level logistic regression models were run for total sample and by gender for each family SES stratum (poor/near poor/just getting by, living comfortably, and very well off), adjusting for age, ethnicity, and gender. Similarly, multi-level regression models were run by race/ethnic group (African American, Hispanic, and White), adjusting for age, family SES, and gender.ResultsStudents attending highly economically disadvantaged (ED) schools were between 1.7 (95% CI: 1.1-2.6) and 2.4 (95% CI: 1.2-4.8) times more likely to be obese as students attending low ED schools across family SES groups (p<.05). African American (ORAdj =3.4, 95% CI: 1.1-11.4), Hispanic (ORAdj=1.8, 95% CI 1.1-3.0) and White (ORAdj=3.8, 95% CI: 1.6-8.9) students attending high ED schools were more likely to be obese as counterparts at low ED schools (p<.05). Gender-stratified findings were similar to findings for total sample, although fewer results reached significance. While no obesity differences across school ED categories were found for Hispanic Spanish-speaking students, Hispanic English-speaking students (HES) attending high ED schools were 2.4 times more likely to be obese as HES students at low ED schools (p=.003).ConclusionFindings support the need to prioritize economically disadvantaged schools for obesity prevention efforts and support further exploration of school SES context in shaping children’s physical activity and dietary behaviors.

Private tutoring intensity in schools: a comparison between high and low socio-economic schools

Private tutoring (PT) is becoming a worldwide phenomenon. In Israel too, about a third of elementary school students participate in PT. Based on sociological and school quality considerations, we examined school characteristics that are associated with PT intensity at school. The data encompassed a random state wide sample of 389 Israeli elementary schools collected by the Ministry of Education in 2012. The results showed that in high school socioeconomic status (SES) schools the percentage of students who participated in PT was higher compared to low SES schools. In high SES, schools with high PT intensity were characterized by high school achievements whereas in low SES, schools were characterized with low school achievements. PT seems to be a factor that increases the social distinction between high and low SES schools. In Israel, PT seems to create distinct ‘school enclaves’ that reproduce social inequality.

Compensating, Mediating, and Moderating Effects of School Climate on Academic Achievement Gaps in Israel

BackgroundIt is widely agreed among educational researchers and practitioners that schools with positive climates can effectively mitigate the influence of students’ and schools’ socioeconomic status (SES) on academic achievement. Nevertheless, the exact mechanisms by which this occurs are unclear.ObjectiveThis study aimed to fill that gap, examining student perceptions of school climate, student academic achievement, and student and school SES in Israel to develop a reliable and comprehensive assessment of the role of school climate in the relationship between student and school SES and achievement. Specifically, the study tested whether school climate has an additive contribution to academics beyond students’ and schools’ SES (compensation model), whether the school's SES influences its social climate, which in turn influences academic achievement (mediation model); or whether the relationship between SES and academics changes across schools with different climates (moderation model).Research DesignSecondary analysis of a large-scale, nationally representative sample of fifth- and eighth-grade Hebrew-speaking students in public schools in Israel (N = 53,946).Data AnalysisHierarchical linear modeling (HLM) was used to examine models with variables both on the student and the school levels. Linear regressions were used to examine student level and school level only models.ResultsSchool climate had an additive compensation contribution to academic achievements, both on the student and the school levels. School climate moderated the relationship between students’ SES and academic achievements. However, findings did not support the hypothesis that school climate mediated the relationship between SES background and academic achievement, both at the student and school levels.ConclusionsSchool climate plays an important role in accounting for achievements, beyond students’ and schools’ SES. Results highlight the need to improve school climate, especially in schools serving communities of low SES, to enhance social mobility and equality of opportunity.

Relation of peer effects and school climate to substance use among Asian American adolescents

Using a nationally representative, longitudinal sample of Asian American late adolescents/young adults (ages 18–26), this article investigates the link between peer effects, school climate, on the one hand, and substance use, which includes tobacco, alcohol, and other illicit mood altering substance. The sample (N = 1585) is drawn from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Waves I and III). The study is set to empirically test premises of generational, social capital and stage-environment fit theories. The exploratory variables include individual-level (immigrant generation status, ethnic origin, co-ethnic and co-generational peers – peers from the same immigrant generation) as well as school-level measures (average school socio-economic status and school climate). Multilevel modeling (logistic and negative binomial regression) was used to estimate substance use. Results indicate that preference for co-generational friends is inversely associated with frequency of cannabis and other illicit drug use and preference for co-ethnic peers is inversely associated with other illicit drug use. We also find that school climate is a strong and negative predictor of frequency of cannabis and other illicit drug use as well as of heavy episodic drinking. In terms of policy, these findings suggest that Asian American students should benefit from co-ethnic and co-generational peer networks in schools and, above all, from improving school climate.

Rising School Enrollment and Declining HIV and Pregnancy Risk Among Adolescents in Rakai District, Uganda, 1994-2013.

Poverty, family stability, and social policies influence the ability of adolescents to attend school. Likewise, being enrolled in school may shape an adolescent's risk for HIV and pregnancy. We identified trends in school enrollment, factors predicting school enrollment (antecedents), and health risks associated with staying in or leaving school (consequences). Data from the Rakai Community Cohort Study (RCCS) were examined for adolescents 15-19 years (n=21,735 person-rounds) from 1994 to 2013. Trends, antecedents, and consequences were assessed using logistic and linear regression with robust variance estimation. Qualitative data were used to explore school leaving among HIV+ and HIV- youth (15-24 years). School enrollment and socioeconomic status (SES) rose steadily from 1994 to 2013 among adolescents; orphanhood declined after availability of antiretroviral therapy. Antecedent factors associated with school enrollment included age, SES, orphanhood, marriage, family size, and the percent of family members <20 years. In qualitative interviews, youth reported lack of money, death of parents, and pregnancy as primary reasons for school dropout. Among adolescents, consequences associated with school enrollment included lower HIV prevalence, prevalence of sexual experience, and rates of alcohol use and increases in consistent condom use. Young women in school were more likely to report use of modern contraception and never being pregnant. Young men in school reported fewer recent sexual partners and lower rates of sexual concurrency. Rising SES and declining orphanhood were associated with rising school enrollment in Rakai. Increasing school enrollment was associated with declining risk for HIV and pregnancy.

Living within a Walkable Distance to School and School Socioeconomic Factors Determine Active Commuting (ISCOLE-US)

PURPOSE: Active school commuting (walking or biking) promotes favorable body composition and better cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness compared to passive commuting; however, few children actively commute to school. The purpose of this study was to examine how home-school distance impacts active commuting behavior. METHODS: A total of 651 children aged 9-11 years from 21 schools around Baton Rouge, LA participated in the International Study of Childhood Obesity, Lifestyle and the Environment (ISCOLE). Children self-reported their mode of commuting to school in the past week, which was dichotomized as active vs. passive. Geographic informations systems were used to calculate route lengths between schools and children’s residences. Generalized linear mixed models (students within schools) evaluated associations adjusted for school socioeconomic status (SES) and family vehicle ownership. RESULTS: Only 10.9% of children reported actively commuting to school, and 9.6% lived within a walkable distance to school (≤0.5 miles). 70% of children living within 0.5 miles of school reported actively commuting, compared to only 4.6% of children who live over 0.5 miles (OR=1.9; 95%CI:1.7-2.0), although this differed across school SES categories (p for interaction = 0.01). Among children living within 0.5 miles of school, 87% from the lowest SES schools reported actively commuting, compared to 54% from the highest SES schools. CONCLUSIONS: Living within a walkable distance to school facilitates active commuting, but not all children take advantage of this opportunity. A better understanding of barriers for children living within a walkable distance of schools may inform interventions to increase active school commuting.

The Relationship between Academic Success and Neighborhood Recreational Sports Use

In an effort to improve student living and learning experiences, Michigan State University (MSU) has developed neighborhoods within on-campus residential housing. Neighborhoods provide students with localized health, wellness, and academic resources. MSU Recreational Sports and Fitness Services provide free group fitness classes within each neighborhood. Research indicates campus wide recreational sports participation is positively associated with academic success. However, this relationship has not been assessed among students participating in neighborhood specific recreational sports. PURPOSE: To determine the differences in semester grade point average (GPA) and semester credits completed between neighborhood specific recreational sports group fitness users and non-users. METHODS: Subjects included all neighborhood specific group fitness users enrolled at MSU in the Spring 2014 semester (n=388, 97% female, 84% Caucasian, 26% Pell grant eligible) and a randomly chosen group of non-users (n=383, 67% female, 77% Caucasian, 25% Pell grant eligible). Means±SD were calculated for all variables of interest. Univariate Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was used to assess differences in GPA and semester credits completed between group fitness users and non-users, controlling for high school GPA (4.0 scale), race (Caucasian/Non-Caucasian), socioeconomic status (Pell grant eligible/not eligible), and gender (male/female). RESULTS: Overall mean±SD semester GPA was 3.12±0.87 and completed credits was 13.29±3.14. GPA was higher in users (3.26±0.68) than non-users (2.98±1.00) and users completed more credits than non-users, 13.83±2.39 and 12.73±3.67, respectively. After controlling for high school GPA, race, socioeconomic status, and gender, no statistical differences were found between users an non-users in semester GPA (F(1,754)=0.53, p=0.465) or credits completed (F(1,754)=1.67, p=0.20). CONCLUSIONS: Participation in neighborhood specific group fitness is not related to semester GPA or semester credits completed. Future research should further investigate the relationship by assessing group fitness use as a continuous variable. In addition, the role of confounders used in our analyses should be explored further.