Physically fit boys and girls scored higher on reading and math, research reveals (university, high school)

[Brian.Pearson]

"Cardiorespiratory fitness was the only factor that we consistently found to have an impact on both boys' and girls' grades on reading and math tests," said study co-author Trent A. Petrie, PhD, professor of psychology and director of the Center for Sport Psychology at the University of North Texas. "This provides more evidence that schools need to re-examine any policies that have limited students' involvement in physical education classes."

[theyreinphx]

That's not surprising at all. Kids loaded up on junk food with crash and cloud their minds. Physically fit kids have more energy.

[Eresh]

I'm wondering too if it has to do with how they got physically fit. A lot of sports and dance activities have some underlying (although rudimentary) math involved.

[Brian.Pearson]

When I was in school, there were maybe a couple who were obese in the entire school -- not that it was a huge school, but the percentages were very small.

I'm guessing these days a lot has to do with sitting at a computer for hours at a time or playing games on their X-Box.

[Momma_bear]

Originally Posted by Eresh

I'm wondering too if it has to do with how they got physically fit. A lot of sports and dance activities have some underlying (although rudimentary) math involved.

Most schools require students to maintain a minimum GPA in order to be eligible to play sports. Since coaches do not want to lose their star players to academic ineligibility many of them institute team study halls and bring in tutors for their players. As a result athletes have higher than average GPAs in many schools.

[Eresh]

Originally Posted by Momma_bear

Most schools require students to maintain a minimum GPA in order to be eligible to play sports. Since coaches do not want to lose their star players to academic ineligibility many of them institute team study halls and bring in tutors for their players. As a result athletes have higher than average GPAs in many schools.

That's a very good point, especially for the high school kids. I was thinking of the younger ones, since the average age in the study was 12 when I posted.

[Chemistry_Guy]

Kids with affluent or educated parents tend to both be fit and do well on tests. Kids that have poorer less educated parents tend not to score as well on tests. Correlation does not imply causation.

I went to a private high school with a very affluent student body. Out of the 1400 students in the school, less than a dozen were obese. Similarly, poorer urban high schools near where I grew up had quite a large percentage of overweight kids. It is not the fitness that makes kids do better on tests, it is the environment.

[LIGuy1202]

Originally Posted by Brian.Pearson

"Cardiorespiratory fitness was the only factor that we consistently found to have an impact on both boys' and girls' grades on reading and math tests," said study co-author Trent A. Petrie, PhD, professor of psychology and director of the Center for Sport Psychology at the University of North Texas. "This provides more evidence that schools need to re-examine any policies that have limited students' involvement in physical education classes."

Really? Increased oxygen to the brain helps one think? Who would have thought that to be the case? LOL!

[burgler09]

Most people are fat because of poor diet and laziness... which isn't really a key to success academically.

[jtur88]

Be careful how you assign cause and effect.

Is it possible that when the school successfully raises students to a prosperous academic level, those good students are inclined (among other things) to recognize the value of physical fitness? And even if the school had no gym class, they would find ways on their own to foster their own health and fitness?

In fact, it is not even logically sound to assume that there is any causation at all, merely because two events are both true. Maybe a certain proportion of the population is naturally inclined to strive for excellence in all things, which would include both academic excellence and healthy fitness. Cats have whiskers and the sky is blue -- which is the cause and which is the effect? Or are both simply the byproducts of the universe playing out a unified set of laws?