Study Better grades through sports

Performs regular exercise to better school performance?

22/10/2013

Young people can significantly improve their academic performance through regular sports. This is the result of a recent study by Scottish scientists „University of Dundee“. Accordingly, girls in particular could gain better scores in natural sciences through frequent movement.

Exercise promotes physical and mental fitness
Anyone who moves a lot, lives healthier and promotes not only physical but also mental fitness - which may mean significantly better grades for adolescents. As Scottish researchers from the University of Dundee have now found out in a study, the higher the frequency with which teenagers move, the higher the chance of better performance. In addition, girls could improve their scores in the field of science through sport.

Long-term study with 5,000 students
For their study, the Scottish researchers first documented for just under 5,000 11-year-old students how often and to what extent they moved over a period of three to seven days. Afterwards, the academic achievements in English, mathematics and science were examined, which the teenagers had provided at the age of 11, 13 and 16 years. In addition to the degree of physical activity and grades was also collected, which mothers had smoked during pregnancy and from what economic and social milieu the students came from. In addition, the researchers took into account which children had a low birth weight and in which had already used puberty.

The sooner the sport, the better the benefits
The result was clear: the students, who were more active than others at the age of 11, also performed better in all subjects tested. This connection was particularly evident in the case of girls in the field of natural sciences - a finding that should not be underestimated for researchers: „This is an important outcome, especially in the light of current policies in the UK and Europe, to promote women in science, "the authors of the study said in an article in the British Journal of Sports Medicine..

Schools and parents must create the right conditions
In addition, the researchers were able to show that the onset of regular physical activity also seems to have an impact - because the longer the children were physically active, the better the grades. So easy the formula „More movement = better grades“ At first glance it seems that research is not. Instead, politics in particular would have to become active in order to create the necessary conditions: „If MVPA (moderately high levels of physical activity) has an impact on academic performance, this in turn has implications for public health and education policies, as schools and parents have a very important 'involvement' in providing meaningful and sustainable action to increase the physical activity of the adolescents“, according to an article of the authors „Medical News Today“. (No)