Exercise has significant benefits for brain health and this may have downstream learning benefits for youth. However existing studies looking at links between physical activity and academic achievement are limited by relatively small sample sizes and/or cross-sectional designs. The objective of this study is to determine the direction and magnitude of the association between physical activity and academic achievement in a large prospective sample of adolescents. Linear mixed models with random intercepts and multinomial ordinal generalized estimating equations were employed to analyze the prospective relationship between measures of physical activity and academic achievement from the COMPASS study (N = 9,898 linked participant data cases from year 2 (2013–2014) to year 4 (2015–2016)). The linear relationships between minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity and academic achievement (English: r = -.047, p < .000; Math: r = -.026, p = .008) as well as meeting the national physical activity guidelines and academic achievement (English: est = -.052, p = .004; Math: est = -.052, p = .028) were negative and trivial in magnitude. Organized sport participation showed slight positive associations with academic achievement indices, but these were also of trivial magnitude. In conclusion, the relationship between physical activity and academic achievement was effectively null in this population sample. Advocacy for physical activity programming for adolescent populations may best be undertaken with reference to lack of net academic achievement cost, rather than presence of benefit, or simply with reference to the many other physical and mental health benefits for youth.
The brain undergoes dramatic changes over the course of the adolescent years, and these developmental changes are implicated in the emergence of disorders that involve negative emotionality. Late adolescence might be the window within which brain networks manifest vulnerabilities to depressive and anxiety symptomology; particularly within the prefrontal cortex (PFC), which houses emotional control (dorsolateral) and emotional processing (medial) nodes. Given the comorbidity of depressive and anxious symptomology, it may be that the neural signature is similar for both within the developing PFC. In a sample of 67 adolescents (M = 15.97 years, SD = 1.36), we used functional near‐infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to examine the neural signature of emergent anxiety and depressive symptoms among younger and older adolescents. We further examined the extent to which neural signatures of anxiety and depressive symptoms within the PFC were similar or different. Findings revealed that self‐reported anxiety and depressive symptoms were highly correlated, and that the neural signatures of both within the PFC were similar, corresponding with the medial subregions of the PFC (i.e., those involved in evaluative processing). These findings were evident only in later adolescence, suggesting the possibility of a common vulnerability for anxiety and depressive disorders emerging around this developmental window.
Background: Several adolescent health behaviors have been hypothesized to improve academic performance via their beneficial impact on cognitive control and functional aspects of the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Specifically, exercise, restorative sleep, and proper diet are thought to improve PFC function, while substance abuse is thought to reduce it. Few studies have examined the relationships among all of these in the same sample, while quantifying downstream impacts on academic performance. Objective: The primary objective of this study is to examine the association between lifestyle behaviors and academic performance in a sample of adolescents, and to examine the extent to which activity within the PFC and behavioural indices of inhibition may mediate this relationship. Methods: Sixty-seven adolescents underwent two study sessions five days apart. Sleep and physical activity were measured using wrist-mounted accelerometry; eating habits, substance use and academic achievement were measured by self-report. Prefrontal function was quantified by performance on the Multi-Source Interference Task (MSIT), and task-related brain activity via functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Results: Higher levels of accelerometer-assessed physical activity predicted higher MSIT accuracy scores (β= .321, ρ= 0.019) as well as greater task-related increases in activation within the right dlPFC (β=.008, SE= .004, ρ =.0322). Frequency of fast-food consumption and substance use were both negatively associated with MSIT accuracy scores (β= -.307, ρ= .023) and Math grades (𝛽= -3.702, 𝑆𝐸= 1.563, ρ= .022) respectively. However, these effects were not mediated by indicators of PFC function. Conclusion: Physical activity and eating behaviors predicted better interference task performance in adolescents, with the former mediated by greater task-related increases in right dlPFC activation. Substance use predicted worse Math grades, however, no other reliable effects of health behaviors on academic outcomes were evident.
Background Although physical activity has traditionally been thought to compete with academic activities in terms of academic performance outcomes, more recent studies have suggested that the brain health benefits of exercise could in theory compensate for this. However, to date no adequately powered prospective studies have attempted to reconcile these two competing possibilities. The objective of this study is to determine the direction and magnitude of the association between physical activity and academic performance in a large prospective sample of adolescents. Methods Linear regression mixed models with random intercepts and multinomial ordinal generalized estimating equations were employed to analyze the relationship between measures of physical activity and academic performance from the COMPASS study (N=9,898 linked participant data cases from year 2 (2013-2014) to year 4 (2015-2016)). Results The linear relationships between minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity and academic performance (English: r= -.047, p<.000; Math: r= -.026, p=0.008) as well as meeting the national physical activity guidelines and academics performance (English: est =-0.052, p=.004; Math: est = -0.052, p=.028) were negative and trivial in magnitude. Organized sport participation showed slight positive associations with academic performance, but these were also of trivial magnitude. Conclusions Physical activity does not predict academic achievement prospectively in this population sample; findings suggest no net cost or clear benefit in relation to academic performance. Advocacy for physical activity programming for adolescent populations may best be undertaken with reference to lack of net academic performance cost, rather than presence of benefit.
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