Association Between Physical Fitness And Academic Performance Among College Students

Objective: The participants of this study are college students who come from a public university in Shanghai.This study aimed to examine the relationships among each physical fitness indicator and overall physical fitness score with academic performance of Chinese college students.Methods: Physical fitness was measured using the revised 2014 version of the Chinese National Student Physical Fitness Standard.Academic performance(i.e.,Grade Point Average),mental health(i.e.,perceived stress)and lifestyle behaviors(i.e.,physical activity,sleep quality,dietary habits,smartphone use,tobacco and alcohol use)were assessed using questionnaires.Results: Several physical fitness indicators and overall physical fitness score were positively associated with academic performance among male students(Body Mass Index,P<0.01;pull-ups,P<0.01;50-m sprint,P<0.01;standing long jump,P<0.01;100-m run,P<0.01,overall physical fitness score,P<0.01).Several physical fitness indicators and overall physical fitness score were positively associated with academic performance among female students(Body Mass Index,P<0.01;timed sit-ups,P<0.01;50-m sprint,P<0.01;standing long jump,P<0.01;800-m run,P<0.01,overall physical fitness score,P<0.01),even after controlling for the effects of age,mother’ s educational level,perceived stress,and lifestyle behaviors.Additionally,students who belonged to high overall physical fitness groups had higher odds ratios of high academic performance than those belonging to low overall physical fitness score groups(male,OR = 1.844,95%CI = 1.446-2.352;female,OR = 2.537,95%CI = 1.792-3.593),even after controlling for the effects of age,mother’ s educational level,perceived stress,and lifestyle behaviors(male,OR = 1.937,95%CI = 1.506-2.490;female,OR = 2.470,95%CI = 1.730-3.526).Conclusion: Physical fitness was positively associated with academic performance among college students,which can provide scientific references for the future researches on physical fitness.