Gym class: How exercise can boast academic performance in teenagers

A new research suggests that getting active can help teenagers boost their academic performance.

13:16 23 October 2013

In 2011, a report has been released stating that only 29per cent of high school students actively participated in 60 minutes of physical activity on a daily basis. This is because more and more teenagers prefer to play video games and watch TV than to get active.

Now, Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has given these teenagers another great reason to start exercising. It said that aside from having healthier bones and muscles, exercising can also help boost their academic performance. 

The report, which was published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, has analysed a sample of 5,000 children who were required to wear an accelerometer on an elasticated belt for 3-7 days. This has allowed researchers to monitor their daily duration and intensity of physical activity.

The research has found that on average, boys engaged in 29 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise each day. Girls, on the other hand, carried out 18 minutes. These results were then compared to their academic performance.

The findings showed that at age 11, higher levels of moderate to vigorous exercise has resulted to better academic performance across three different subjects for both boys and girls.

Dundee University’s Dr Josie Booth, who was one of the leading forces of the study, said: "Physical activity is more than just important for your physical health.

"There are other benefits and that is something that should be especially important to parents, policy-makers and people involved in education."