Exercise Improves Teens’ Performance in School, Research Finds

Lisa Franchi October 23, 2013

Exercise doesn’t only make you physically strong. It may also help sharpen your mental prowess. That’s according to a new study that involved more than 5,000 teenagers.

Majority of teenagers are more interested in watching TV, surfing the web, and engaging in unhealthy behaviours than practising positive habits like exercising. But physical activity could have better implications not just on their physical well-being but also in their school performance.

The research, carried out by the Strathclyde and Dundee University, revealed that academic performance of teenagers increased for every 17 minutes of additional exercise for boys and 12 minutes for girls. According to the researchers, most teens do not get the recommended 60 minutes a day of exercise. In their current study, they examined what may happen to their academic performance if they will be more physically active.

Their findings suggest that the academic performance of students increased by a quarter of a grade with every 15 minutes they spent on exercise. The researchers note that it is possible to improve their academic performance by a full grade if these students will adhere to the recommended 60 minute daily workout.

Girls, in particular, demonstrated a dramatic improvement in performance as a result of physical activity.

"If MVPA (moderate-vigorous physical activity) does influence academic attainment, this has implications for public health and education policy by providing schools and parents with a potentially important ’stake’ in meaningful and sustained increases in physical activity." the researchers wrote.

"There are other benefits and that is something that should be especially important to parents, policy-makers and people involved in education” said Dr Josie Booth, one of the leaders of the study from Dundee University. His team said further research backing the findings could have implications for public health and education policy. Their findings also emphasised the exercise can improve the health and well-being of teenagers, but also their academic attainment.

The new study was published in the journal British Journal of Sports Medicine.

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Exercise ’boosts academic performance’ of teenagers