IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v18y2021i5p2293-d506127.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Associations between Physical Fitness, Complex vs Simple Movement, and Academic Achievement in a Cohort of Fourth Graders

Author

Listed:
  • Jong-Sik Ryu

    (Department of Physical Education, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Korea)

  • Hae Ryong Chung

    (Health and Fitness Management, College of Health, Clayton State University, Morrow, GA 30260, USA)

  • Benjamin M. Meador

    (Exercise Science, College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Georgia Southwestern State University, Americus, GA 31709, USA)

  • Yongsuk Seo

    (Environmental Physiology Laboratory, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242, USA)

  • Kyung-O Kim

    (Department of Gerokinesiology, Kyungil University, Kyungsan 38428, Korea)

Abstract

This study analyzed the correlation between elementary school students’ body composition, physical activity, physical fitness, movement ability, and academic achievement. Movements ranged from simple actions to complex movements requiring executive functioning. In total, 110 fourth graders (60 boys, 50 girls) participated in this experiment. Body composition (BMI, % of body fat), physical activity (pedometer), physical fitness (muscular strength, endurance, power, flexibility, and VO 2 max), and complex movement abilities (Illinois Agility test, soda pop hand test, and soda pop foot test) were measured. Regression modeling of body composition and fitness/activity variables was able to account for 30.5% of the variation of total academic scores in females, but only 4.3% in males. No individual tests were reliably correlated with multiple academic outcomes in males. However, hand and foot soda pop times, as well as Illinois Agility scores, were repeatedly correlated with academic outcomes in females, each correlating with 4 of the 6 academic scores. Body composition and physical activity level did not correlate with academic achievement, and simple physical fitness showed a low correlation with academic achievement in both boys and girls. On the other hand, complex, cognitively demanding movements such as the Illinois Agility, soda pop hand, and soda pop foot tests had consistent correlations with academic achievement in girls, but not in boys.

Suggested Citation

  • Jong-Sik Ryu & Hae Ryong Chung & Benjamin M. Meador & Yongsuk Seo & Kyung-O Kim, 2021. "The Associations between Physical Fitness, Complex vs Simple Movement, and Academic Achievement in a Cohort of Fourth Graders," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(5), pages 1-11, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:5:p:2293-:d:506127
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/5/2293/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/5/2293/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ana Barbosa & Stephen Whiting & Philippa Simmonds & Rodrigo Scotini Moreno & Romeu Mendes & João Breda, 2020. "Physical Activity and Academic Achievement: An Umbrella Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(16), pages 1-29, August.
    2. Kaestner, Robert & Grossman, Michael, 2009. "Effects of weight on children's educational achievement," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 28(6), pages 651-661, December.
    3. Wittberg, R.A. & Northrup, K.L. & Cottrell, L.A., 2012. "Children's aerobic fitness and academic achievement: A longitudinal examination of students during their fifth and seventh grade years," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 102(12), pages 2303-2307.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Mia Papasideris & Scott T Leatherdale & Kate Battista & Peter A Hall, 2021. "An examination of the prospective association between physical activity and academic achievement in youth at the population level," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(6), pages 1-15, June.
    2. von Hinke Kessler Scholder S, 2009. "Genetic Markers as Instrumental Variables: An Application to Child Fat Mass and Academic Achievement," Health, Econometrics and Data Group (HEDG) Working Papers 09/25, HEDG, c/o Department of Economics, University of York.
    3. Joseph J. Sabia & Kurt Wang & Resul Cesur, 2017. "Sleepwalking Through School: New Evidence On Sleep And Academic Achievement," Contemporary Economic Policy, Western Economic Association International, vol. 35(2), pages 331-344, April.
    4. Cristina Bellés‐Obrero & Sergi Jiménez‐Martín & Judit Vall‐Castello, 2016. "Bad Times, Slimmer Children?," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 25(S2), pages 93-112, November.
    5. Sarrias, Mauricio & Blanco, Alejandra, 2022. "Bodyweight and human capital development: Assessing the impact of obesity on socioemotional skills during childhood in Chile," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 47(C).
    6. Cuffe, H.E. & Harbaugh, W.T. & Lindo, J.M. & Musto, G. & Waddell, G.R., 2012. "Evidence on the efficacy of school-based incentives for healthy living," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 31(6), pages 1028-1036.
    7. Tianjiao Wang & Congbin Guo, 2022. "Inverted U-Shaped Relationship between Physical Activity and Academic Achievement among Chinese Adolescents: On the Mediating Role of Physical and Mental Health," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(8), pages 1-13, April.
    8. Wang, Kurt & Sabia, Joseph J. & Cesur, Resul, 2016. "Sleepwalking through School: New Evidence on Sleep and Academic Performance," IZA Discussion Papers 9829, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    9. Barone, Adriana & Nese, Annamaria, 2015. "Body Weight and Gender: Academic Choice and Performance," MPRA Paper 68450, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    10. Petter Lundborg & Paul Nystedt & Dan-Olof Rooth, 2014. "Body Size, Skills, and Income: Evidence From 150,000 Teenage Siblings," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 51(5), pages 1573-1596, October.
    11. BARONE, Adriana & NESE, Annamaria, 2014. "Body Weight and Academic Performance: Gender and Peer Effects," CELPE Discussion Papers 129, CELPE - CEnter for Labor and Political Economics, University of Salerno, Italy.
    12. BARONE, Adriana & NESE, Annamaria, 2017. "Investment in Education, Obesity and Health Behaviours," CELPE Discussion Papers 146, CELPE - CEnter for Labor and Political Economics, University of Salerno, Italy.
    13. Sehrish Naveed & Timo Lakka & Eero A. Haapala, 2020. "An Overview on the Associations between Health Behaviors and Brain Health in Children and Adolescents with Special Reference to Diet Quality," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(3), pages 1-20, February.
    14. Fletcher, Jason M. & Lehrer, Steven F., 2009. "The Effect of Adolescent Health on Educational Outcomes: Causal Evidence using ‘Genetic Lotteries’ between Siblings," CLSSRN working papers clsrn_admin-2009-40, Vancouver School of Economics, revised 26 Jun 2009.
    15. Wisniewski, Suzanne L., 2017. "Childhood obesity among the poor in Peru: Are there implications for cognitive outcomes?," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 26(C), pages 51-60.
    16. Ying Yang & Jinruo Qin & Jing Lei & Yanping Liu, 2023. "Research Status and Challenges on the Sustainable Development of Artificial Intelligence Courses from a Global Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-20, June.
    17. Joseph Sabia & Daniel Rees, 2015. "Body weight, mental health capital, and academic achievement," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 13(3), pages 653-684, September.
    18. Giorgio Brunello & Pierre-Carl Michaud & Anna Sanz-de-Galdeano, 2008. "The Rise in Obesity Across the Atlantic An Economic Perspective," Working Papers WR-586, RAND Corporation.
    19. Rouse, Kathryn & Hunziker, Brooke, 2020. "Child bodyweight and human capital: Test scores, teacher assessments and noncognitive skills," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    20. Rees, Daniel I. & Sabia, Joseph J., 2014. "The kid's speech: The effect of stuttering on human capital acquisition," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 76-88.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:5:p:2293-:d:506127. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.